Hanoi (VNA) – The World Health Organisation (WHO)will continue to share information with Vietnam on developments of monkeypoxand support the country in the prevention and control of the disease, Dr.Socorro Escalante, Acting WHO Representative in Vietnam told the media on July26.

The WHO representative noted that after considering the emergingepidemiological trends and the transmission of the disease among countries, onJuly 23, WHO Director-General Adhanom Ghebreyesus decided to declare monkeypoxas a global health emergency.

Between January 1 and July 20, the world recorded nearly15,000 cases of monkeypox in 72 countries and territories and in all sixregions worldwide. This is a significant increase from more than 3,000 cases at the beginning of May 2022, causing globalconcern, she said.

Escalante said that WHO has assisted the Ministry of Health of Vietnam in buildingtemporary expertise guidelines in the field of laboratory monitoring andtesting, including activities to strengthen the capacity of supervision andtesting systems, as well as in conducting activities related to temporarilyrapid response, clinical management, infection control for monkeypox.

WHO has also helped Vietnam in popularising the risk of monkeypox outbreak,as well as guided the country in vaccination.

The WHO will provide Vietnam with  updated instructionsand national interim guidelines depending on the development of the disease, whileproviding testing bio-products to public health facilities and hospital systemsnationwide, she said.

According to the representative, WHO has designedscenarios that countries may face, and classified the scenarios followinggroups of countries depending on the real situation.

For countries that have yet to record any monkeypox case like Vietnam, WHO hasgiven some temporary recommendations regarding responding measures, including activating the inter-sectoralcoordination mechanism to enhance readiness torespond to monkeypox, and prevent it from spreading. The operation of thePublic Health Emergency Response Centre under the Ministry of Health needs tobe activated, when necessary, with the participation of inter-agency, shestated.

Escalante underlined the need to strengthen the monitoring system as well as the laboratory diagnostic capabilities, includingtesting and sample transport procedures, along with risk communications and theupdating of guidelines in managing clinical cases. She also pointed to the necessityto raise public awareness of the transmission of monkeypox to take measures toprotect the community, identify signs and symptoms in high-risk communities.

Along with enhancing the disease supervision system, WHOrecommended that Vietnam actively update and share information for localresidents on disease prevention measures as well as ways to protect themselves incase monkeypox may enter Vietnam.

The WHO representative also recommended that there is no need to apply restrictionmeasures related to international travel of specific groups or the generalpopulation. WHO encourages countries to adhere to interim recommendations,she stressed.

She added that currently, WHO does not recommend mass vaccination againstmonkeypox./.