WHO Asks Countries to Increase Surveillance for Monkeypox

Mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virus particles as well as crescents and spherical particles of immature virions, obtained from a clinical human skin sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak, in an undated photo obtained by Reuters, on May 18, 2022. Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regnery/CDC/Handout via Reuters

About 200 confirmed and more than 100 suspected cases of Monkeypox have been detected so far outside of the countries where it usually spreads, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday, urging countries to increase surveillance for the infectious disease.

Monkeypox, a mild viral infection, is endemic in the African countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.