Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday (23/7) that the outbreak monkey pox (monkeypox) was declared a global health emergency.
This is the highest alarm that the WHO can issue. Now there are only two such international health emergencies, namely the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to eradicate polio.
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“I have decided that the monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” Tedros said AFP.
This statement came after the second meeting of the WHO emergency committee on monkeypox.
Tedros said there have been more than 16,000 cases reported from 75 countries. So far there have been five deaths from monkeypox.
Tedros said the emergency committee had not been able to reach a consensus on whether monkeypox should be classified as a global health emergency. But he said the outbreak was rapidly spreading across the world and he decided it needed international attention.
He also explained that currently little is known about the new mode of transmission, which makes the outbreak spread rapidly.
“The WHO assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where we assess the risk to be high,” Tedros said.
Tedros said the declaration would help speed up vaccine production and the implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus.
The WHO also issued recommendations that it hopes will encourage countries to take action to stop the transmission of the virus and protect those most at risk of exposure.
“This is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategy in the right groups,” Tedros said.
(fea)
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