People with monkeypox can isolate at home, as long as they are monitored by local health authorities, the guidance states. The document states that most infections so far have occurred through close, direct contact.
The British government’s new guidance is designed in part to help those who have the disease or are exposed to it, in addition to being a summary of what is known and not known about the virus. "We are concerned that individuals may acquire this infection through high-risk exposure if they don’t have the information they need to protect themselves." "At the moment, we are not concerned about a global pandemic," she added. Lewis said "the world has an opportunity to stop this outbreak" by identifying confirmed or potential cases, isolating them and tracing their close contacts, and keeping an eye on those who have been exposed, who under WHO guidelines do not need to stay home if they are not exhibiting symptoms. "Having said that, anyone can be at risk." "This group of people are those who are most affected by the cases at the present time, and the idea is to obviously stop further spread so that it doesn’t affect the more general population," she said. Rosamund Lewis, the WHO’s technical leader on monkeypox, said in a briefing Monday that most confirmed cases have been identified in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and that the risk to the wider population is "low." In Britain, which has the highest reported number of confirmed monkeypox cases in the world, according to the WHO, health authorities have suggested new measures for health care workers and the public. The WHO said Sunday that nearly two dozen countries have reported a total of 257 confirmed cases and about 120 suspected cases of monkeypox.