The EU Health Safety Committee has concluded that there are no grounds to consider the situation in the European Union in connection with the cases of monkeypox an emergency, European Commission (EC) spokesperson Stefan de Kersmaeker said.
“Our approach is based on scientific evidence, and it served as the basis for our discussions at the committee meeting the day before. The European Commission and EU Member States met to discuss the situation and consider how to coordinate the next steps. The Health Safety Committee agreed that there is currently no emergency situation in Europe concerning monkeypox,” the spokesman said at a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday.
He referred to an analysis published on August 16 by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, according to which “the overall risk to the population remains low at present.”
The EC representative also said that the committee members agreed on the need for a coordinated approach to this problem and close monitoring of the situation.
Answering a question about the availability of monkeypox vaccines in the EU, de Kersmaeker noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of preparedness for health crises. He said that since 2022, several contracts have been signed with different companies, and these vaccines have already been distributed to Member States.
“Our latest joint framework contract provides for the purchase of up to 2 million doses of vaccines,” the EC representative added.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease. The infection is accompanied by fever, intoxication, swollen lymph nodes and further spread of the rash – first in the form of spots that transform into bubbles, after opening them, ulcers form, after they heal, crusts form, and when they fall off, scars form. In mild cases, the disease usually resolves on its own and lasts from 14 to 21 days.
Last week, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern due to the outbreak of monkeypox in Congo and other African countries. This year, more than 14 thousand cases of the disease have been detected in Congo, with 524 deaths recorded.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video with a detailed explanation of the origin of the disease and the prospects for its spread – https://youtu.be/YXYU6KcQTcQ?si=wEj2TQc3MPHGx0QY
The number of registered cases of coronavirus infection in the world as of Tuesday morning reached 532 million 350 thousand 904, according to data from the American Johns Hopkins University.
Since the beginning of the spread of the virus in the world, 6 million 300 thousand 53 people have died from the consequences of infection with COVID-19.
Countries with more than 20 million infections continue to include the United States, India, Brazil, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The number of infected and those who died from the consequences of infection, respectively, amounted to:
USA – 84 million 882 thousand 287 and 1 million 8 thousand 857.
India – 43 million 185 thousand 49 and 524 thousand 708.
Brazil – 31 million 195 thousand 118 and 667 thousand 41.
France – 29 million 834 thousand 390 and 149 thousand 509.
Germany – 26 million 498 thousand 361 and 139 thousand 388.
Great Britain – 22 million 526 thousand 949 and 179 thousand 532.
According to the portal Worldometers, which specializes in statistics on major world events, the death rate per 1 million people on the planet reached 811.0 on Tuesday morning. In the USA, 3 thousand 88 people died per 1 million inhabitants, India – 373, Brazil – 3 thousand 96, France – 2 thousand 265, Germany – 1 thousand 658, Great Britain – 2 thousand 608.
Interchem double liability company (Odesa) donated 200,000 0 doses of an antiviral drug to border guards and medical workers to prevent infection with Chinese coronavirus. Interchem CEO Anatoliy Reder told Interfax-Ukraine that an agreement was reached during a meeting with Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov.
“The main parameters of our proposal are that we offer help and help for free. There are services that are the first to deal with patients who are infected with viruses and have high infection risks. These are border guards, who are staying at the entrance to the country, and employees of infectious hospitals. We will deliver a drug for prevention to employees of State Border Guard Service to all regions of Ukraine and to doctors and medical staff in all infectious hospitals, which are defined as basic medical facilities for hospitalization of those infected with Chinese coronavirus,” he said.
At the same time, Reder said that this is not about treatment, but exclusively about prevention.
“We do not pretend to have a panacea. We do not say that we have a cure for the Chinese coronavirus in our hands. However, we know for sure that the use of the drug gives an additional chance not to get sick,” he said.
Reder said that this drug has a proven immunomodulatory and antiviral effect.
Interchem is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Ukraine. It was founded in 1992. It is the only Ukrainian manufacturer of medicines for hard and cancer patients, as well as one of the drug suppliers under the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria programs.
ANTIVIRAL DRUG, BORDER GUARDS, CORONAVIRUS, INFECTION, INTERCHEM
