WHO declares monkeypox outbreak as global health emergency

The World Health Organisation has declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.

Following a worldwide upsurge in cases, the WHO has issued the highest alert possible. It emerged at the end of the WHO’s emergency committee’s second meeting on the virus.

More than sixteen thousand cases have been reported from seventy-five countries, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general. He stated that there had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak.

There are only two other similar health emergencies currently – the continuing effort to eradicate polio and the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Tedros has stated that the emergency committee had been unable to reach a decision on whether the monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a global health emergency. Despite this, he said that the outbreak had spread worldwide quickly and decided it was undoubtedly of international concern.

Dr Tedros stated that too little was understood about the new methods of transmission which had allowed it to develop.

He said additional international spread is also a clear risk, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains lower.

Dr Tedros has stated that the announcement would help speed up the process of vaccines and the employment of measures to limit the growth of the virus.

Dr Tedros stated: “The WHO assesses that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where we assess the risk as high. This is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups.”