Brazilians have started poisoning monkeys because they believe they are to blame for the spreading monkeypox virus.
Ten monkeys were reportedly poisoned in less than a week in the Sao Paulo state city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, according to local media.
The World Health Organization has now expressed regret over the killing of the animals in Brazil as concerns about the infection keep rising.
At a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, said, “People have to know that the transmission we see now is among humans.”
According to the WHO, there are over 1,700 cases of monkeypox in Brazil.
On July 29, the health ministry of the nation announced the death of a man who had comorbidities and a low level of immunity.
According to Harris, animals can transmit disease to humans, but the most recent outbreak is only linked to human connections.
She said, “People certainly should not attack the animals. The transmission we are seeing now with the large outbreak of monkeypox is person-to-person transmission.
“The virus is in some animals, and we see a jump in humans, but that’s not what we’re seeing now. The risk of transmission comes from another human being.”
Harris stated that people should be more concerned about the areas of populations where the virus is spreading and the precautions they might take to stay safe.
According to Harris, the best approach to combat the virus was “if people recognise they have symptoms and go get help and medical care and take precautions to prevent it being transmitted.”
The key to this, she said, is increasing awareness among unsuspecting groups.
The majority of cases have been reported among men who have s*x with other men, and the virus spreads through close contact.
The WHO has also advised people to avoid stigmatizing affected people.
