The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously warned that the nearly 200 cases of monkeypox that have been discovered in recent weeks are just the start.
Monkeypox infection has received a lot of attention as cases of infection have been found in countries where the virus does not normally circulate.
– We do not know if we have only seen the tip of the iceberg, and that there are many other cases of infection which have not been discovered, specifies Sylvie Briand according to The Guardian.
Briand is responsible for epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the WHO. She says we are still in the initial phase when it comes to monkeypox.
– We know that there will be more cases of infection in the next few days, she said.
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Ask people not to worry
Briand says there’s still no reason to panic.
– It’s not a disease the general public should worry about. It’s not a disease like the coronavirus and other diseases that spread quickly, she said.
In recent weeks, the virus has been detected in several other European countries such as Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Cases of infection have also been discovered recently in the United States, Canada, Australia and Argentina. In total, the disease is registered in more than 20 countries.
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The monkeypox infection was visiting Oslo
A foreign person who traveled to Oslo in May was later diagnosed with the infection. The Municipality of Oslo and FHI have started monitoring infections, but no cases of infection have been detected in this country.
Norway’s Institute of Public Health (FHI) believes the disease does not have the potential to become a pandemic and says the virus does not spread easily. Monkeypox can be spread through skin contact with blisters or sores, droplets, and sharing bed linen or towels, for example.
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Norwegian authorities will not classify monkeypox as a public danger at this time
Norway has access to monkeypox vaccine
According to the Ministry of Health, Norway will receive a share of the monkeypox vaccines that the EU is already providing. The vaccine is already approved for use against smallpox, but not yet for monkeypox. Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström says NRK that the EU will provide vaccines and medicines from June.
– We ensure this through our membership of EU4Health, of which Norway is a full member, State Secretary Karl Kristian Bekeng of the Ministry of Health and Care tells NTB.
