WHO Issues Warning Against Attacking Monkeys by People Who Believe it Can Stop the Monkeypox Outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning against people attacking monkeys, in a perceived attempt to stop the monkeypox outbreak.

The health authorities emphasized that the monkeypox virus is transmitted between humans and not by monkeys; which is based on reported incidents of some people believing the global outbreak can be mitigated or stopped by eliminating the primates.

The WHO warning came after several cases have been reported involving people who attacked, poisoned, and killed a number of monkeys in Brazil.

The said monkey killings were deemed to be triggered by fears that the simians could be carrying the virus, according to Brazilian authorities.

The attacks apparently occurred in the wild, where the authorities increased their measures since then.

Multiple sources attributed the incidents that are caused by the literal interpretation of the viral disease, which was coined after its first two outbreaks were identified from lab monkeys decades ago.

In fact, the so-called poxvirus, which causes monkeypox, was commonly found in rodents.

While it is a zoonotic disease, there has been no evidence suggesting the current outbreak is also spread by monkeys.

The recent outbreak was first reported in early May 2022 in countries where it is not endemic or outside the continent of Africa.

Since then, cases have affected thousands of people in dozens of nations worldwide, with Europe being the epicenter of the infections.

The WHO recently declared monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

WHO Condemnation

(Photo : Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

At a press briefing in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the WHO, stated that people should know the monkeypox transmission is happening between humans.

The briefing on Tuesday, August 9, was made available by the United Nations through its UN Web TV.

Harris urged the public not to attack any animals.

She also highlighted the concern should be focused on where the transmission is in the human population and what humans can do to protect themselves from acquiring and spreading the virus, as cited by NBC News.

The WHO spokesperson further explained monkeypox also got its name because the virus was first found in a group of monkeys kept for research in a laboratory in Denmark back in 1958.

Also Read: Monkeypox Virus Can Live on Refrigerated Food and in Water for Weeks

Brazil Monkey Killings

According to Brazil's local television channel Globo News, the Environmental Military Police believe that the cases of monkey intoxication were driven by fear of the "new smallpox."

As a result, security forces reinforced its patrolling in the woods.

Since the start of August, a total of at least 10 monkeys belonging to the marmoset and capuchin species were rescued by the local officials, who found signs of aggression and intoxication from the simians, in the Rio Preto region of Brazil.

The authorities are also investigating some animal organs to determine the origin of their death.

The probe was conducted as there were also cases of people stoning or shooting the monkeys, raising concerns that its wildlife population could be at risk.

The attacks on monkeys in the South American nation transpired after a spike of monkeypox cases which have already reached 2,131 with one reported death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Related Article: WHO Declares Current Monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern