Armenia has banned the import and transit of all types rodents and primates to prevent the outbreaks of mpox disease, the Food Safety Inspection informs.
The decision is effective from August 21. The restriction will last until further clarifications are issued by the World Health Organization.
No cases of mpox have been detected in Armenia so far. According to experts, the risk of outbreak in the region is low.
On Wednesday, August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the highly infectious disease Mpox a global health emergency, for the second time in two years.
The disease – formerly known as monkeypox – has killed at least 450 people during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It has now spread across parts of central and east Africa, and scientists are concerned about how fast a new variant is spreading, and its high fatality rate.
On Thursday, Sweden’s public health agency recorded what it says is the first case of a more dangerous type of mpox outside the African continent.
The person became infected during a stay in an area of Africa where there is currently a major outbreak of mpox Clade 1, the agency said.
