The World Health Organization expressed its regret on Tuesday for the slaughter of monkeys in Brazil, amid fears of contagion of monkeypox.
Brazilian news website G1 reported on Sunday that 10 monkeys had been poisoned in less than a week in the city of Sao José do Rio Preto, in Sao Paulo state. Similar incidents were recorded in other cities.
“People need to know that the transmission we see now is between humans,” said Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, during a press conference in Geneva.
Brazil has recorded more than 1,700 cases of monkeypox, according to the WHO.
The country’s Ministry of Health confirmed one death related to the illness on July 29. The victim was a man with low immunity and comorbidities.
Transmission can occur from animals to humans, but the recent outbreak is related only to human contacts, Harris said.
“People shouldn’t attack animals,” he said.
Brazil has a history of attacks on monkeys also during yellow fever outbreaks.
Since May, nearly 90 countries have reported more than 29,000 cases of monkeypox, also called monkeypox. In July, the WHO classified the outbreak of this disease as an international emergency.
