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The reason why the World Health Organization came out like this is because the number of countries and patients with confirmed monkey pox is increasing, but how it spreads and how it spreads is still unknown.



On the other hand, there is also an opinion that the response is excessive compared to the size of the patient.



<Reporter> The



monkey pox epidemic this year is so different from the past, there are even rumors that it may be another disease.



[Paul/WHO Commissioner: We must not only think of monkey smallpox, but also consider the possibility of other diseases.]



Until last year, the outbreak occurred mainly in 7 African countries, and in other countries, cases of infection from animals that have traveled to or imported from Africa It was only.



However, this year, it is spreading in 32 countries, including Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, in addition to 7 African countries.



Of the 1,600 confirmed cases this year, more than 1,350 have come from 32 countries other than Africa, of which 60% are from Spain, Portugal and the UK.



However, all official deaths occurred in seven African countries.



This is because the Congo type, which has a high fatality rate, is prevalent in Africa, and the West African type, which has a low fatality rate elsewhere, is prevalent.



The biggest problem is that we don't know how the West African type spreads outside of Africa, and we don't know how it gets infected.



Because the smallpox virus multiplies under the skin, it is more likely to spread through skin blisters.



[Lewis / WHO Monkey Smallpox Emergency Response Team Leader: It should be remembered that monkey smallpox is mainly transmitted through skin-to-skin contact.]



It is also true that there is a high proportion of certain sexual minorities.



[Ghebreyesus / WHO Director-General: Among the monkey pox confirmed cases this year, many men had sexual contact or had close contact with them.]



The main purpose of the WHO emergency meeting was to identify the exact route of infection and appropriate quarantine As guidelines are being prepared, it is unlikely that this will lead to an actual state of emergency declaration.



(Video coverage: Jo Moo-hwan, CG: Ryu Sang-soo) ▶ WHO reviews monkeypox



'declaration of public health emergency'