The WHO concluded that there is a risk of monkeypox spreading internationally again after the 2022 outbreak and becoming a health threat in several countries.
In making the decision, the WHO was guided by the advice of independent monkeypox experts who met in a so-called emergency committee at the WHO’s invitation, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.
The purpose of declaring a state of emergency is to alert authorities around the world to prepare for possible outbreaks.
The initial outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already killed at least 450 people this year. It has now spread to central and eastern Africa, and scientists are concerned about how fast the new variant is spreading and how high the death rate is.
This is not the first time the WHO has declared a public health emergency over a monkeypox outbreak. In the summer of 2022, the disease spread to almost 100 countries, including Europe and Asia. This outbreak was brought under control by vaccinating the groups most at risk.
2024-08-15 17:46:39