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The World Health Organization WHO classifies the spread of monkeypox as an international health emergency, which is the organization’s most serious warning.
The decision from the WHO comes after the spread of the infection has been confirmed in over 70 countries, which makes the situation “extraordinary” according to the organization.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision at an extraordinary meeting. The decision comes after WHO experts gathered to assess whether the outbreak should be classified as a global health crisis.
According to the US CDC, over 15,400 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 71 countries.
As the expert meeting began on Thursday, the WHO chief said it was worrying that six more countries had reported their first cases in the past week.
Until May of this year, monkeypox had never known to cause major outbreaks outside of parts of central and west Africa, where the disease has existed for decades. But since then, more and more cases have been reported.
Of the reported cases, 98 percent are men who have sex with men, according to Rosamund Lewis, who leads the WHO’s efforts to combat monkeypox. Most cases are reported in major cities.
Facts
Monkey pox
Monkeypox is a disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans. It was discovered in monkeys and was therefore named monkeypox, but it is likely that various rodents in Central and West African rainforests are the reservoir for the virus.
During the spring and summer of 2022, an unusually high number of cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in several countries. Transmission of the virus seems to have mainly taken place via sexual contacts between men who have sex with men.
Monkey pox often causes rashes, sores and blisters. The symptoms are often mild but can become serious in people in risk groups. In older studies conducted in Africa, some mortality has also been reported.
There are drugs that seem to have some effect against the infection and that can be used in severe disease.
All cases of infection with monkeypox must be reported to the infectious disease doctor in the region and to the Public Health Agency.
Source: Public Health Agency
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