Elvira Kadyrova
Since the start of the current global outbreak of monkeypox, the majority (84%) of confirmed cases of monkeypox have occurred in the WHO European Region, underscoring the need to support Member States and territories in this region to monitor and curb the spread of the virus.
To this end, the WHO European Office decided to help meet the needs of 18 priority countries in the diagnosis of a new disease. This includes five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and 13 other countries, such as Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.
According to WHO/Europe, consumables worth US $1.2 million were purchased and delivered to these countries, which helped them strengthen their health systems to counter monkey pox.
Thanks to cooperation with the German biotech company TIB Molbiol, 57,000 PCR tests have now been distributed, which will allow testing up to 5,000 samples for monkey pox in each of the priority countries/territories. In addition, on-site and remotely, the medical workers will undergo a training program for the correct use of test systems.
From the very beginning of the outbreak expansion in early May 2022, WHO has taken this emergency situation seriously, promptly disseminating recommendations on anti-epidemic measures and medical care, actively interacting with affected communities and ensuring the participation of hundreds of scientists and researchers in accelerating research and development of vaccines to stop the disease.
In July, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of monkey pox observed in several countries a public health emergency of international importance.
However, the adoption of coordinated response measures can ensure the cessation of the spread of infection and the protection of vulnerable populations. ///nCa, 15 November 2022