WHO Head says Canada's Monkeypox outbreak is in a downtrend

Canada has a total of 1,228 cases of monkeypox, but the number of new cases has slowed.

The "sustained downward trend" in monkeypox cases in Canada is "encouraging" as several countries in the Americas face rising numbers of infections, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

“In the Americas, which accounts for more than half of reported cases, several countries continue to experience increasing numbers of infections, although it is encouraging to see a sustained downward trend in Canada,” said Dr. Tedros. Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, said at a press conference in Geneva.

He added that some European countries like Germany and the Netherlands are also seeing a "marked slowdown" in the monkeypox epidemic.

He says the drop in cases demonstrates "the effectiveness of public health interventions" and tracking infections and preventing transmission.

“These signs confirm what we have always said from the start: that with the right measures, this is an epidemic that can be stopped,” the director-general said.

"And in areas that don't have animal-to-human transmission, it's a virus that can be eliminated."

Canada has a total of 1,228 cases of monkeypox*, most of them in Ontario and Quebec, but the rate of spread of cases has slowed in recent weeks, with only 169 cases reported since August 12.

References: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/monkeypox.html