The World Health Organization on Friday warned that some 200 monkeypox cases found in recent weeks outside of countries where the virus usually circulates could be just the beginning.
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"We don't know if we are just seeing the peak of the iceberg," Sylvie Briand, WHO's epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention chief, acknowledged in a briefing to countries on the "unusual" spread of the virus.
Since Britain first reported a confirmed monkeypox case on May 7, nearly 200 cases were reported in countries far from where the virus is endemic.
Present in several West and Central African nations, monkeypox cases were suddenly detected in more than 20 other countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and nearly a dozen EU countries.
"We are still at the very, very beginning of this event," Briand told member state representatives attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva."
"We know that we will have more cases in the coming days," she said, but stressed there was no need to "panic. This is not a disease the general public should be worried about. It is not Covid or other diseases that spread fast."
Israel has so far recorded two cases of the monkeypox, both in people who had recently traveled to Europe. Health Ministry officials said Thursday that Israel has a large stock of vaccines against the disease and the ministry was closely monitoring its progress using contact tracing and quarantine for the patients.
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There are currently no plans to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign, or take any other special measures, a ministry official told reporters.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus – a relative of the smallpox. It spreads through close contact but symptoms are usually mild and include fever, headaches and muscle aches, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
