ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s health ministry announced on Thursday that no cases of monkeypox have been reported in the country, as the government steps up efforts to raise awareness following the declaration of a public health emergency by global experts.
“We have had no reports of monkeypox infections in Iraq until now. We are making efforts to detect and mitigate that sickness,” health ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr told Rudaw.
Regarding the implementation of lockdowns similar to those imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesperson said, “it is too soon for [making] that decision … we are in the phase of raising awareness.”
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that the monkeypox outbreak is a “public health emergency of international concern.”
“We encourage all countries to enhance surveillance, share data, and work to better understand the transmission; share tools like vaccines; and apply lessons learned from prior public health emergencies of international concern in addressing the current outbreak,” Ghebreyesus said.
The first case of monkeypox outside of Africa was reported in Sweden on Thursday, as the disease continues to spread, driven by a new variant circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since last September.
Monkeypox is primarily transmitted through close physical contact with an infected person’s lesions, their clothing, or bedding. Sexual contact can increase the risk of transmission.
While most people recover from monkeypox without needing treatment, the lesions can be extremely painful and severe cases can lead to complications such as brain inflammation and death.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this report.
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