WHO to decide if Monkeypox should be declared ‘Emergency of International Concern’ next week

On June 23, the World Health Organization will be hosting an emergency conference to decide if the global monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, stated, “The outbreak of monkeypox is unusual and concerning. For that reason I have decided to convene the Emergency Committee under the international health regulations next week, to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”

Also Read: Threat of monkeypox spreading to non-endemic nations is’real’: Tedros

Now, The World Health Organization has agreed to assemble an Emergency Committee to determine whether the current monkeypox outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of worldwide concern. Dr. Tedros also provided updates on several problems related to the outbreak, including immunization and the virus’s renaming.

Later on, he stated, “It’s also crucial that vaccines are provided equitably wherever they are required”. To that aim, WHO is working together with its Member States and partners to devise a mechanism to ensure that vaccinations and treatments are distributed fairly. “While smallpox vaccines should provide some protection against #monkeypox,” he added, “there is insufficient clinical data and supplies.”

1600 confirmed Monkeypox cases

Until a few months, Monkeypox was primarily confined to western and central Africa. However, the WHO has received reports of 1,600 confirmed Monkeypox cases and 1,500 suspected cases from 39 countries this year, 32 of which have recently been infected with the virus. There have been 72 deaths reported in countries where monkeypox is already endemic, but none in the newly affected countries.

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