World Health Organization Declares MonkeyPox As Global Emergency

 

The World Health Organization has          declared  monkeypox outbreak, which has affected nearly 16,000 people in 72 countries, as a global health emergency.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference said monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.

Mr. Ghebreyesus stated that a committee of experts who met on Thursday was unable to reach a consensus, so it fell on him to decide whether to trigger the highest alert possible.

“WHO’s assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where we assess the risk as high,” he noted.

Monkeypox has affected over 15,800 people in 72 countries, according to a tally by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  published on July 20.

A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic.

On June 23, the WHO convened an emergency committee  of experts to decide if monkeypox constitutes a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern ,the UN health agency’s highest alert level.

But a majority advised Mr.Ghebreyesus that the situation, at that point, had not met the threshold.

The second meeting was called on Thursday with case numbers rising further, where Mr.Ghebreyesus  said he was worried.

“I need your advice in assessing the immediate and mid-term public health implications,”  Mr.Ghebreyesus added at the meeting, which lasted more than six hours.