All the countries that have reported monkeypox cases so far

LONDON -

There have been more than 1,000 monkeypox cases reported to the World Health Organization in the current outbreak outside the countries in Africa where it more commonly spreads.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk of monkeypox becoming established in these non-endemic countries was real but preventable at this point.

Twenty-nine countries have reported cases in the current outbreak, which began in May. None have reported deaths.

At a media briefing in Geneva, Tedros also said there had been more than 1,400 suspected cases of monkeypox this year in Africa and 66 deaths.

"It's an unfortunate reflection of the world we live in that the international community is only now paying attention to monkeypox because it has appeared in high-income countries," he said.

He said the outbreak was showing signs of community transmission in some countries. WHO recommends people with monkeypox isolate at home.

Rosamund Lewis, WHO technical lead on monkeypox, said that "interpersonal close contact" was the main way monkeypox spreads, although she added that the risk of aerosol transmission was not yet fully known. Health workers caring for monkeypox patients should wear a mask, she said.

Cases are still predominantly among men who have sex with men, the WHO added, although cases in women have been reported.

The UN agency is working with organizations including UN AIDS and community groups to raise awareness and stop transmission.

Post-exposure vaccination, including for health workers or close contacts, including sexual partners - ideally within four days of exposure - may be considered for some countries, WHO added. The vaccines being used are designed against smallpox, a related, more dangerous virus that the world eradicated in 1980, but also work to protect against monkeypox, studies have shown.

WHO senior official Sylvie Briand said the agency is assessing the potency of vaccines stockpiled against smallpox and contacting manufacturers and countries who have previously pledged vaccines.

29 COUNTRIES WITH REPORTED CASES

AMERICAS

• ARGENTINA had confirmed two cases as of June 2.
• CANADA had confirmed 81 infections as of June 7.
• MEXICO confirmed its first case on May 28. 
• The UNITED STATES had confirmed 35 cases in 12 states by June 8.

EUROPE

• AUSTRIA confirmed its first case on May 22. 
• BELGIUM detected its first two cases on May 20 and a total of 17 by June 5.
• CZECH REPUBLIC detected its first case on May 24, reaching a total of six as of June 2.
• DENMARK confirmed its first case on May 23 and a total of three as of June 3.
• FINLAND reported its first case on May 27, second on June 2.
• FRANCE had confirmed 66 cases by June 7.
• GERMANY reported its first case on May 20 and a total of 80 by June 7.
• GIBRALTAR confirmed its first case on June 1.
• HUNGARY reported its first case on May 31. 
• IRELAND had confirmed seven cases as of June 7, with first on May 28.
• ITALY had detected 20 cases as of June 1, since its first on May 19, and suspected one more.
• LATVIA confirmed its first case on June 3. 
• MALTA reported one case on June 2.
• The NETHERLANDS, which reported its first case on May 20, had confirmed 54 as of June 7.
• NORWAY reported its first case on May 31. 
• PORTUGAL confirmed 25 new cases on June 8, bringing its total to 191.
• SLOVENIA has reported a total of six cases since its first one on May 24. 
• SPAIN confirmed 27 new cases on June 7, bringing the total to 225.
• SWEDEN confirmed its first case on May 19 and a total of five by June 2.
• SWITZERLAND had confirmed a total of 10 cases as of June 7, with first on May 21.
• The UNITED KINGDOM had confirmed 321 cases as of June 7, including 305 cases in England, 11 in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and three in Wales.

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

• ISRAEL had reported two cases as of June 2, with its first on May 21.
• MOROCCO reported its first case on June 2.
• The UNITED ARAB EMIRATES had reported a total of 13 infections since its first on May 24.

ASIA-PACIFIC

• AUSTRALIA, which on May 20 reported its first case, had confirmed six cases as of June 3.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy and Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Toby Chopra, Janet Lawrence and Mark Porter)

Sources: Data from World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters stories, releases from local authorities