Monkeypox Declared A Global Health Emergency By WHO

In a virtual press briefing on Saturday, July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency.

Monkeypox is an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission about which we understand “too little”, and which meets the criteria of an emergency under International Health Regulations.

“For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern”, the World Health Organization’s Director, Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, announced on Saturday during a press conference.

Tedros indicated that the current risk of Monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where the risk is high.

“There is also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for the moment”, he added.

Currently, there are more than 16,000 reported cases from 75 countries and territories and five deaths.

The Outbreak Can Be Stopped

WHO’s chief said that although he was declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment the Monkeypox outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

“That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups”, he explained.

Tedros said that it is essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and adopt measures that protect the health, human rights, and dignity of affected communities.

“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus”, he warned, calling on civil society organisations, including those with experience in working with people living with HIV, to work with the agency on fighting stigma and discrimination.

“With the tools, we have right now, we can stop transmission and bring this outbreak under control”, he highlighted.