WHO has not declared monkeypox a global health emergency

KOMPAS.com – Status monkeypox or monkey pox confirmed that it has not become a Public Health Emergency International Concern (PHEIC), or global health emergency like Covid-19.

This is a decision announced by the World Health Organization (WHO), on Saturday, June 25, 2022.

However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was concerned about the spread of monkeypox reported by several non-endemic countries.

“I am very concerned about the monkeypox outbreak, it is clearly a growing health threat that we at the WHO Secretariat are following,” Tedros said. ReutersSunday (26/6/2022).

Also read: WHO to hold emergency meeting next week to decide status of monkeypox outbreak

Previously, WHO had held a meeting with experts regarding developments monkey pox status on Thursday (23/6/2022).

Despite some differing views at this meeting, they ultimately agreed by consensus that the outbreak was not a PHEIC. Some global health experts say the WHO may be hesitant to make a declaration regarding monkeypox.

Because, during the declaration in January 2020 that the status of the corona virus was a global health emergency, most countries in the world welcomed it with skepticism.

In response to the decision, other experts said the monkeypox outbreak met the criteria for an emergency.

One of them was Gregg Gonsalves, a professor of epidemiology at Yale University who also advised the committee but was not a member of the WHO, who called the decision ‘misguided’.

“It met all the criteria (a global health emergency), but they decided to take this important decision,” Gonsalves said.

The development of monkeypox in the world

For information, monkeypox is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms and the appearance of lesions on the skin. The disease is reported to have spread to men who have sex with men or are gay, who live outside of an endemic country.

At least there are currently more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox and one death reported in the last six weeks. According to WHO, the report came from 48 countries in the world.

It noted that now there are nearly 1,500 cases and 70 deaths from monkeypox occurring in Central Africa, where the disease is endemic in the country. A number of cases were also identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Also read: WHO plans to change the name of monkeypox, what is the reason?

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