Health

WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases top 100 in Europe

Published

4 years ago

May 21, 2022

The World Health Organization was holding an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, after over 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe.

In what Germany described as the largest outbreak in Europe ever, cases have been reported in at least nine countries – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – as well as the United States, Canada and Australia.

Spain reported 24 new cases on Friday, mainly in the Madrid region where the regional government closed a sauna linked to the majority of infections.

A hospital in Israel was treating a man in his 30s who is displaying symptoms consistent with the disease after recently arriving from Western Europe.

First identified in monkeys, the disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa, so this series of cases has triggered concern.

However, scientists do not expect the outbreak to evolve into a pandemic like COVID-19, given the virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.

Monkeypox is usually a mild viral illness, characterised by symptoms of fever as well as a distinctive bumpy rash.

“This is the largest and most widespread outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe,” said Germany’s armed forces’ medical service, which detected its first case in the country on Friday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) committee meeting to discuss the issue is the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH), which advises on infection risks that could pose a global health threat.

It would not be responsible for deciding whether the outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern, WHO’s highest form of alert, which is currently applied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There appears to be a low risk to the general public at this time,” a senior U.S. administration official said.

COMMUNITY SPREAD

Fabian Leendertz, from the Robert Koch Institute, described the outbreak as an epidemic.

“However, it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long. The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary,” he said.

Still, the WHO’s European chief said he was concerned that infections could accelerate in the region as people gather for parties and festivals over the summer months.

There is no specific vaccine for monkeypox, but data shows that the vaccines used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against monkeypox, according to the WHO.

British authorities said they have offered a smallpox vaccine to some healthcare workers and others who may have been exposed to monkeypox.

Since 1970, monkeypox cases have been reported in 11 African countries. Nigeria has had a large ongoing outbreak since 2017. So far this year, there have been 46 suspected cases, of which 15 have since been confirmed, according to the WHO.

The first European case was confirmed on May 7 in an individual who returned to England from Nigeria.

Since then, over 100 cases have been confirmed outside Africa, according to a tracker by a University of Oxford academic.

Many of the cases are not linked to travel to the continent. As a result, the cause of this outbreak is unclear, although health authorities have said that there is potentially some degree of community spread.

SEXUAL HEALTH CLINICS

The WHO said the early cases were unusual for three reasons: All but one have no relevant travel history to areas where monkeypox is endemic; most are being detected through sexual health services and among men who have sex with men, and the wide geographic spread across Europe and beyond suggests that transmission may have been going on for some time.

In Britain, where 20 cases have been now confirmed, the UK Health Security Agency said the recent cases in the country were predominantly among men who self-identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.

Portugal detected nine more cases on Friday, taking its total to 23.

The previous tally of 14 cases were all detected in sexual health clinics and were men aged between 20 and 40 years old who self-identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.

It was too early to say if the illness has morphed into a sexually transmitted disease, said Alessio D’Amato, health commissioner of the Lazio region in Italy. Three cases have been reported so far in the country.

“The idea that there’s some sort of sexual transmission in this, I think, is a little bit of a stretch,” said Stuart Neil, professor of virology at Kings College London.

Scientists are sequencing the virus from different cases to see if they are linked, the WHO has said. The agency is expected to provide an update soon.

Related Topics:Emergency Meeting featured monkeypox WHO

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Health

Four-day polio vaccination campaign begins across Afghanistan

Published

2 days ago

September 21, 2026

Ariana News

A nationwide polio vaccination campaign got underway across Afghanistan on Monday.

The four-day campaign aims to vaccinate around 12.77 million children under the age of five against polio.

Officials said the campaign is aimed at strengthening protection for children against polio and preventing the spread of the virus.

However, in the southern zone of the country, the polio vaccination campaign will begin one day later, on Tuesday, to ensure better implementation.

According to the information provided, Afghanistan has conducted one nationwide and two sub-national polio vaccination campaigns so far this year. The current campaign is the fourth of the year. In addition, localized campaigns and public awareness programs have also been carried out.

Officials said some environmental samples linked to the polio virus have tested positive. However, the Ministry of Public Health has not so far confirmed any human cases of polio.

According to officials, investigations into suspected cases are ongoing, and information on confirmed human cases will be shared once the assessments are completed and sufficient evidence is available.

Health

Afghanistan faces cancer treatment crisis

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said dozens of cancer treatment centers are operating across the country.

Published

1 week ago

September 13, 2026

Ariana News

The Afghanistan Cancer Foundation has raised concern over the rising number of cancer cases across the country, saying at least 1.5 million people are currently suffering from the disease.

According to figures released on Saturday, September 11, about 50,000 new cases are recorded annually. The figures are based on data from the Ministry of Public Health and international organizations.

Shafiq Shinwari, head of the Afghan Cancer Foundation, said in a recent interview that breast and uterine cancers are among the most common cancers in women, while lung, stomach, prostate and colon cancers are widespread among men.

He said cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Afghanistan after heart disease.

Cancer specialist Dr. Rahim Gul Darwish identified smoking and tobacco use, poor hygiene and unhealthy diets as major factors contributing to the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said dozens of cancer treatment centers are operating across the country. However, he acknowledged serious shortages of modern equipment and facilities needed to provide comprehensive treatment.

The situation has been further aggravated by the departure of hundreds of medical specialists and healthcare workers since the Islamic Emirate returned to power, according to reports.

Afghan patients have also faced growing difficulties accessing treatment abroad. Many previously travelled to Pakistan for cancer care, but border closures and restrictions on Pakistani visas have made access more difficult.

Doctors say cancer patients require continuous treatment and regular specialist care, warning that shortages of facilities and restrictions on cross-border travel are increasing the risks for patients.

Health

Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months

Published

3 weeks ago

September 4, 2026

Ariana News

A genetically modified pig kidney has kept a 66-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease alive without dialysis for a record nine months, marking the first time a pig kidney has successfully served as a temporary “bridge” to a human kidney transplant.

Tim Andrews, from New Hampshire, was suffering from severe kidney failure caused by type 2 diabetes. Doctors said he had only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, while facing a more than 40% risk of dying or being removed from the transplant waiting list.

Tim Andrews preparing for surgery in January 2025

Surgeons at Mass General Brigham in Massachusetts transplanted a kidney from a genetically modified Yucatan miniature pig named Wilma into Andrews in January 2025. The kidney functioned for 271 days, allowing him to remain free of dialysis before it began to fail.

After the pig kidney was removed, Andrews spent several months back on dialysis before receiving a kidney from a deceased human donor. The human kidney was functioning well after six months of follow-up, according to findings published in the medical journal The Lancet.

The transplant represents the longest dialysis-free survival recorded following a pig kidney xenotransplant in a living person. It is also the first documented case in which a patient successfully moved from a pig kidney transplant to a human kidney transplant.

Before the procedure, Wilma’s genome underwent 69 genetic modifications. Some changes were intended to reduce the risk of viruses being transmitted to humans, while others were designed to make the pig kidney more compatible with the human immune system and reduce the risk of rejection.

Andrews described the procedure as a “miracle”, saying it allowed him to return to everyday activities. He said he was able to cook, vacuum and take long walks with his dog.

The development could offer a potential solution to the severe shortage of human organs available for transplantation. Kidney transplantation provides the best survival prospects and quality of life for patients with end-stage kidney disease, but the global demand for donor kidneys far exceeds the supply.

Dr Leonardo Riella of Mass General Brigham said the shortage of organs remains “the greatest crisis” in transplantation. He said genetically modified animal organs could initially be used to help patients avoid dialysis while they wait for a human donor kidney and could eventually become a long-term treatment option if their safety and durability are established.

The pig kidney began showing damage to its blood vessels after about six months, eventually leading to organ failure and its removal nine months after transplantation.

Doctors found no new antibodies against human tissue following the procedure, suggesting the pig kidney did not make Andrews’ subsequent human transplant more difficult. No pig viruses or other pig pathogens were detected at any point.

The researchers cautioned that the result is based on a single patient with no comparison group. They said the outcome also depended on careful patient selection and intensive specialist care that may not be available in all settings.

Further clinical trials will be needed to determine whether genetically modified pig kidneys can safely and reliably be used as a bridge for other patients facing long waits for human organs.

The researchers said the case nevertheless provides new evidence that pig kidney transplantation could help address the global organ shortage and potentially offer patients a way to remain off dialysis while waiting for a human kidney.