WHO Declares Monkeypox A Global Emergency
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries an “emergency of international concern”.
The WHO label – a “public health emergency of international concern” as an alarm that requires a quick international response so as to unlock funding and global efforts to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.
Governments are advised to raise awareness among doctors and hospitals, take protective measures in suspected cases and educate members of the population on how to protect themselves from infection.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision to issue the declaration despite a lack of consensus among experts serving on the UN health agency’s emergency committee.
Announcing his decision to declare the health emergency during a media briefing in Geneva, Tedros confirmed that the committee had failed to reach a consensus, with nine members against and six in favor of the declaration.
“We have 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 in the international health regulations,” Tedros said on Saturday.
“I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views among the members” of the committee, he added.
Tedros said there are more than 16,000 reported cases from 75 countries and territories and five deaths.
BY ALJAZEERA
Tags: Who Monkeypox Monkeypox Outbreak Global Emergency
