Monkeypox is not yet a health emergency: WHO

Article author:

Reuters

London — Monkey Pox is not yet a global health emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) ruled on Saturday, but WHO President Tedros Adhanomgebreyes said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak.

"I am deeply concerned about the outbreak of monkeypox. This is clearly a health issue that I and my colleagues at the WHO Secretariat follow very closely. It's a threat, "Tedros said in a statement.

In another statement, the WHO had several different views within the Commission, but in the end, the outbreak at this stage was a public health emergency (PHEIC) of international concern. He said it was agreed by a consensus that it was not.

Currently, the "Global Emergency" label applies only to ongoing efforts to eradicate coronavirus pandemics and polio, and UN agencies have come from a conference of international experts. With the advice of, we withdrew the application to the outbreak of monkeypox.

According to WHO, more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported, with one death reported in the last 6 weeks from 48 countries that do not normally spread.

So far this year, nearly 1,500 cases and 70 deaths have been reported in Central Africa, where the disease is more common, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. increase.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and is predominantly found in men who have sex with men outside the country who are endemic.

Although the supply is limited, there are vaccines and treatments available for monkeypox.

WHO said that the January 2020 declaration that the new coronavirus represents a public health emergency was skeptical around the world, as some global health experts were skeptical. He said he may have hesitated to declare.

However, others have said that the outbreak meets a standard called an emergency.

Greg Gonzalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University, who advised the Commission but is not a member of the WHO, emailed Reuters on Saturday and the decision "goed in the wrong direction." I thought.

"It met all the criteria, but they decided to punt this crucial decision," he said.

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