The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said this Wednesday that it will receive 100,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine, which it will distribute among the 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries that have requested to receive batches from the organization, while infections continue to increase.
The World Health Organization In July, it declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency, an epidemic that is spreading rapidly throughout the Americas, where PAHO has registered 30,000 cases.
America has once again become the epicenter of a global health emergency with monkeypox,” PAHO Director Carissa Etienne told a news conference.
The region has reported four deaths from this disease to date.
Etienne said that the majority of cases continue to be registered among men who have sex with men, but stressed the need to avoid stigma and discrimination so that the sectors of the population at greatest risk do not take refuge and stop seeking medical assistance.
PAHO also revealed that the 12 countries that have requested to buy doses within the 100,000 vaccines that the organization will take from Bavarian Nordic they will receive a first batch in September, followed by another two in November and December, respectively.
Regarding transmissions, PAHO’s director of health emergencies, Ciro Ugarte, said that information, prevention, and diagnosis were key to containment. “But there shouldn’t be any limitations on tourism and travel,” he stressed.
