The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday that more than 41,000 cases and 12 deaths from monkeypox have been reported in 96 countries. Most cases are concentrated in the United States.
The WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency in July.
The number of reported cases globally declined by 21% in the week ended Aug. 21, following a month-long trend of rising infections, according to the WHO’s latest epidemiological report.
“There are signs that the outbreak is waning in Europe, where a combination of effective public health measures, behavior change and vaccination are helping to prevent transmission,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. .
Still, more than a dozen countries have seen an increase in the number of weekly cases, with the biggest growth reported in the United States. More than 34% of the current global case count is in the US country.
The WHO said infections in the Americas region showed “a continuous and sharp increase” in the previous week.
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