GENEVA: A World Health Organizationsenior official said on Friday that the priority needs to becontaining monkeypox in non-endemic countries, saying that this can be achieved through quick action.

Monkeypox, typically a mild viral infection, is endemic inthe African countries but its spread to non-endemic countriessuch as in Europe and the United States has raised concerns.

So far, there are more than 200 confirmed or suspected countries in around 20 cases where the virus was not previously circulating.

“We think if we put the right measures in place now we cancontain it easily,” Sylvie Briand, WHO director for GlobalInfectious Hazard Preparedness said at a technical briefing tomember states at the UN health agency’s annual assembly.

She stressed that there was a window of opportunity toprevent further spread, urging the general public not to beworry since transmission is much slower than other viruses such as the coronavirus.

WHO officials said that there was no need for massvaccination at present, but targeted vaccination where available for close contacts of people infected.

“Case investigation, contact tracing, isolation at home willbe your best bets,” said Rosamund Lewis, WHO head of thesmallpox secretariat which is part of the WHO EmergenciesProgramme.