On Wednesday, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that more than 35,000 cases of monkeypox and 12 deaths have been reported from 92 countries and territories. The WHO chief added that last week, almost 7,500 new monkeypox cases were reported, showing a 20% surge in the case numbers. A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May this year outside the endemic African countries. On July 23, the WHO declared the situation an international public health emergency.

Amid the surge in cases, several studies have been conducted to determine whether genetic changes in the monkeypox virus are linked to the spread. He stated that after looking at the genome, there were a few genetic differences between the viruses from the current outbreak and the older Clade IIb viruses. However, nothing is known about the significance of these genetic changes, and research is underway to establish the effects (if any) of these mutations on transmission and disease severity.

The WHO chief also stated that most of the monkeypox cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas, especially among men who have sex with men. He further added that it was still early on in both the outbreak and laboratory studies to tell if the rise in infections could be driven by the observed genotypic changes in the virus or if they were due to host (human) factors. 

(Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/monkeypox-studies-underway-to-see-if-mutations-behind-spread-of-disease-says-who-article-93627359/amp )