WHO: "Monkeypox Transmission from Animals to Humans Possible Through Medical Waste"

Monkeypox patients in Congo, Africa, 1996-1997. /Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] There is a claim that the recent spread of monkeypox, known as an African endemic disease, in Europe may be due to poor management of medical waste.

According to recent major foreign media reports, William Karesh, head of the Wildlife Division at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), said this during a press briefing hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Karesh stated, "Similar to the COVID-19 situation, it is possible that rodents carried medical waste and spread the virus," adding, "There may have been cases where medical waste was left outdoors at suburban hospitals."

He explained that while it is believed the monkeypox virus was transmitted from animals to humans, it remains uncertain through which species the infection occurred.

The monkeypox virus was named after symptoms similar to smallpox were found in laboratory monkeys, and it is mainly found in Central and West Africa.

Its existence was first identified by monkey researchers in 1958, and after the first human infection case was confirmed in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, infection cases have been steadily reported mainly in Central and West Africa, focusing on Congo and Nigeria. In Nigeria, monkeypox infections have continued since 2017.

However, since an infection case was reported in the United Kingdom on the 7th of last month, confirmed cases have been rapidly increasing in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Australia. WHO announced that as of the 1st, more than 550 monkeypox infection cases have been confirmed in over 30 non-endemic countries.

Meanwhile, the incubation period for monkeypox is usually 1 to 2 weeks, after which symptoms similar to the flu appear, including fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, chills, and fatigue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.