NewsDesk @bactiman63

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) says that there is very little probability of an epidemic of monkeypox in Norway, but a greater probability of further spread among groups of men who have sex with men.

Image/CDC

“We consider that the infection can continue to spread in environments where men have sex with men, especially with many intimate close contacts, even without constantly new imported cases”, says doctor Elisabeth Astrup at the Institute of Public Health.

FHI has published a risk assessment on the spread of monkeypox . The report briefly describes the situation, assesses the risk of monkeypox for Norway and makes recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Care on strategy and handling of the situation.

“FHI assesses that there is a moderate probability that individuals in the general population in Norway will be infected, but that there is a very small probability of an epidemic of monkeypox in the general population”, says Astrup.

On Saturday 23 July, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the international outbreak of monkeypox as an international public health crisis.

Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube

In Norway, as of 25 July, 46 cases have been reported, of which 28 have been infected here in the country, mainly in Oslo. All patients are men.

“There is still a lot we don’t know about the virus’s ability to spread and great uncertainty about the further development, but we will continue the work that is already underway to look after the patients as best as possible and try to stop the outbreak. It is important that we provide targeted information on how to reduce the risk of infection”, says Astrup.