Brazil: WHO condemns attacks on monkeys over pox fears

The World Health Organization, WHO, has decried increasing attacks on monkeys over fears of spread of monkeypox in Brazil. The WHO spokeswoman, Margaret Harris told reporters on Tuesday, that people need to know is that the transmission we are seeing is happening between humans. Ms. Harris's comments came after Brazilian media reported that 10 monkeys had been poisoned in less than a week in Sao Jose do Rio Preto city in southeastern Sao Paulo state. Ms. Harris said, while the disease can spread from animals to humans, the recent outbreak is between humans only. she further said, people certainly should not attack the animals.
Similar incidents were also reported in other cities, with people attacking monkeys by throwing stones or poisoning them, according to local media reports. According to  WHO, Brazil has more than 1,700 cases of monkeypox.The Monkeypox, caused by monkeypox virus, is transmitted from one person to another through droplets, contaminated objects and close contact with an infected person. According to media reports, since May, nearly 90 countries have reported more than 29,000 monkeypox cases. The WHO classified the outbreak of the once-rare disease as a global health emergency in July.