Twenty-nine countries mostly in Europe have reported more than 1000 cases in the current outbreak,which began in May. None have reported deaths.
At a media briefing in Geneva,Tedros also said there had been more than 1400 suspected cases of monkeypox this year in Africa and 66 deaths.
“It’s an unfortunate reflection of the world we live in that the international community is only now paying attention to monkeypox because it has appeared in high-income countries,” he said.
He said the outbreak was showing signs of community transmission in some countries. WHO recommends people with monkeypox isolate at home.
Monkeypox doesn’t usually spread easily between people. Contact with the virus from an animal,human or contaminated object is the main pathway,Bloomberg reports.
The virus enters the body through broken skin,the respiratory tract or the mucous membranes in the eyes,nose or mouth. Transmission from one person to another is thought to occur through respiratory particles during direct and prolonged face-to-face contact. But it can also happen through contact with body fluids or lesion material,or indirectly through contact with contaminated clothing or linens. Common household disinfectants can kill it.