SINCE THE BEGINNING of the outbreak in May this year, there have been almost thirty thousand cases of monkeypox in countries that historically had not reported the disease.

Here in Ireland, there have now been over a hundred reported cases and while there are plans to roll out a vaccine to help stop the spread, it’s not clear when that will start.

Just last month the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its highest alert over the monkeypox outbreak.

The hope is that its recommendations will encourage countries to take action to stop transmission – and protect those who are most at risk.

But as the world continues to grapple with a cost-of-living crisis, global political tensions and a new strategy of living with Covid, there are concerns that action has not been swift or strong enough.

In this week’s episode of The Explainer, presenter Michelle Hennessy is joined by Dr Cillian de Gascun, Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, to talk about the global response to the outbreak. 

Listen to The Explainer

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This episode was put together by presenter Michelle Hennessy, producers Aoife Barry and Nicky Ryan, with a special thank you to Emer Moreau and Stephen McDermott.