According to reports, the World Health Organization is holding an emergency conference to discuss the frightening spread of monkeypox around the world, including a probable case in New York City.
As a number of new countries declared their first confirmed cases on Friday, the UN’s health body is gathering together renowned specialists on the rare disease.
The biggest issue, according to the UK paper, is how the virus, which is generally found in West Africa, is spreading, with many of the new cases occurring among people who had not previously visited.
According to the study, the WHO will investigate why gay or bisexual males are included in clusters, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued similar cautions.
The purported emergency meeting comes as Manhattan experts continue to look into a possible case involving a patient who arrived at Bellevue Hospital with symptoms.
The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Thursday that exploratory monkeypox tests were being conducted on the patient, who was not recognized but was being treated in isolation.
The first case in the United States this year was discovered in Massachusetts on Tuesday in a guy who had just visited Canada.
On Thursday, Canada verified the first two positive tests. Public health officials in Montreal also reported 17 suspected cases.
Belgian health specialists were set to meet on Friday after the country’s first two cases were discovered, which included males from different cities who had attended the same party, according to health officials.
Spain has also confirmed 14 cases, increasing the total number of verified cases to 21.
