Photo taken on May 20, 2021 shows the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia)
Coronavirus has claimed 3,000 lives in the European region in the last week alone, accounting for roughly one-third of the global total, according to WHO. Meanwhile, there have now been over 22,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox across 43 countries in the European region, accounting for one third of the global total.
COPENHAGEN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Tuesday called for urgent strategies and tools to control and eradicate COVID-19, monkeypox and polio.
"With autumn and winter approaching, we anticipate a surge in cases, with or without a resurgence of seasonal influenza in Europe," Hans Kluge, Regional Director of WHO Europe, told a press conference on Tuesday.
Coronavirus has claimed 3,000 lives in the European region in the last week alone, accounting for roughly one-third of the global total, according to WHO.
The recently launched COVID-19 autumn and winter strategy in the European region outlines what countries must do to control both SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, Kluge emphasized.
He also urged countries to use influenza vaccines in conjunction with COVID-19 vaccines wherever possible.
People queue outside a monkeypox vaccination clinic in Manchester, Britain, Aug. 14, 2022. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)
Meanwhile, there have now been over 22,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox across 43 countries in the European region, accounting for one third of the global total. However, Kluge believes Europe can eliminate sustained human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the region "if we commit to doing so and put the necessary resources toward that end."
The outbreak may be slowing in France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries, but Europeans must urgently "step up our efforts," Kluge said.
The WHO has this week released two comprehensive policy briefs; one outlining the policy objectives and steps required for the control and eventual elimination of monkeypox, and the other focusing specifically on the use of monkeypox vaccines.
These "provide a clear message on what we believe our ultimate aim is: to first control, and ultimately achieve and sustain elimination of monkeypox infection in the European region," said Kluge.
As the European Region celebrates its 20th year of polio-free status, the WHO official reiterated that "the momentous progress made towards global eradication is very fragile."
A health worker gives a polio vaccine to a child during a polio vaccination campaign in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Nov.8, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
In recent years, vaccine-derived polioviruses have been detected in Israel, Tajikistan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, according to the WHO.
"This is a wake-up call for us all. It is our shared responsibility to eradicate polio globally."
Polio, monkeypox, and COVID-19 have all demonstrated that a local disease threat can quickly go global, "a lesson we would be foolish to ignore, especially in today's world," the official added. ■
