WHO Condemns Attacks On Monkeys In Brazil Over Monkeypox Fears

The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized that monkeypox outbreaks were not linked to monkeys. This follows several reported attacks on the primates in Brazil.

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said; "What people need to know is that the transmission we are seeing is happening between humans."

She added that despite its name, monkeys are not the main transmitters of the disease and have nothing to do with the current outbreak.

Monkeypox received its name because the virus was first identified in monkeys kept for research in Denmark, but the disease is found in a number of animals and most frequently in rodents.

Harris insisted the primates could not be blamed for the surge in monkeypox cases in Brazil after reports of a hike in physical attacks and poisonings of monkeys.

In a natural reserve in Rio do Preto, Sao Paulo state, 10 monkeys appeared to have been poisoned or intentionally injured in less than a week, according to news site G1.

Rescuers and activists suspect the monkeys were poisoned and attacked after three monkeypox cases were confirmed in the area.

Brazil has registered over 1,700 cases of Monkeypox and one death, according to WHO data.