As per the WHO, monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency
Key Takeaways:
- The leader of the WHO said on Saturday that while the monkeypox outbreak posed a serious concern and was still spreading, it was not yet a global health emergency.
- The committee did concur that immediate action was required to address the situation and stop the outbreak from getting worse.
- Ten cases have been documented among medical professionals, despite the fact that few patients have been admitted to hospitals thus far.
The World Health Organization head stated on Saturday that the monkeypox outbreak was a grave threat still developing but did not yet represent a global health emergency.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus assembled a panel of specialists on Thursday to advise him on whether to issue the UN health agency's strongest alert over the outbreak.
Since earlier May, there has been a sharp increase in monkeypox cases outside of the West and Central African nations, where the illness has long been endemic. Western Europe has seen the majority of the recent occurrences.
This year, the WHO has received reports from more than 50 countries about more than 3,200 confirmed cases and one fatality.
According to Tedros, "the emergency committee shared serious worries about the scope and pace of the current outbreak," highlighting the many uncertainties surrounding the spread and data gaps.
They informed me that the situation does not currently qualify as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which is the highest level of alert that the WHO can issue, but they also acknowledged that the committee's formation itself reflects the growing concern about the spread of monkeypox internationally.
Using surveillance, contact tracing, patient isolation, and care, as well as ensuring immunizations and treatments are accessible to at-risk people, Tedros declared the epidemic to be "obviously a developing health danger" that required prompt action to avoid its spread.
Need for an "intense response."
According to the WHO summary of the meeting, "the vast majority of cases are observed among men who have sex with men, of young age," primarily occurring in urban areas, in "clustered social and sexual networks."
Despite several members' differing opinions, the committee decided by consensus to inform Tedros that the outbreak was not yet a PHEIC.
The committee did agree that the situation was urgent and that strong reaction measures were needed to prevent the outbreak from spreading further.
Depending on the outbreak, they are prepared to meet again in the upcoming days and weeks.
The group suggested that nations enhance risk communication and diagnosis.
It observed that several characteristics of the outbreak were uncommon, and some participants warned that the population's low degree of antibody to poxvirus infection raised the possibility of prolonged transmission.
stinging rash
High fever, enlarged lymph nodes, and a rash resembling chicken pox are typical early signs of monkeypox.
The absence of epidemiological connections between the initial outbreak cases and regions that previously reported monkeypox suggests that undiscovered transmission may have occurred for some time.
Few patients have been admitted to hospitals thus far, but 10 cases have been noted among medical personnel.
The WHO's current strategy to stop the spread focuses on educating the affected population groups about the problem and promoting preventative behaviors.
Since 2009, there have been six PHEIC notifications, with Covid-19 being the most recent in 2020. However, the WHO headquarters are still frustrated by the slow worldwide response to the warning bell.
Following the third emergency committee meeting on January 30, a PHEIC was declared. But many nations didn't realize the threat until after March 11, when Tedros referred to the fast deteriorating situation as a pandemic.