Sharjah24 – AFP: The global monkeypox outbreak has been receding for months, but experts warn against prematurely declaring victory because a resurgence remains possible and the virus still circulates in the African countries where it has long been endemic.
Since monkeypox suddenly started spreading across the world in May, more than 73,000 cases and 29 deaths have been recorded in over 100 countries, the World Health Organization said this week.
But since peaking in July, infection numbers have consistently fallen, particularly in Europe and North America, the hardest hit areas in the early stages of the global outbreak.
The number of new global cases fell by 20 percent in the seven days up to Sunday compared to the previous week, the WHO said.
Case numbers are still however increasing in some areas including in South America, with infections rising seven percent in Peru during that time.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that "a declining outbreak can be the most dangerous outbreak, because it can tempt us to think that the crisis is over, and to let down our guard".
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