GENEVA (REUTERS) - The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing on Saturday (July 23). The WHO label - a “public health emergency of...
Previously, Dr Tedros has typically endorsed expert committee recommendations, but two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he had likely decided to back the highest alert level due to concerns about escalating case rates and a short supply of vaccines and treatments, despite the lack of a majority opinion.
Until now, the label had only been applied to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio. In recent weeks, pressure has been increasing from scientists and public health experts for the WHO and national governments to take more action on monkeypox. So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries. When the committee first met at the end of June, there were only about 3,000 cases.At the first meeting of the expert committee, the group said it would reconsider its position on the emergency declaration if the outbreak escalated.
The group is now split between those who think an emergency declaration would accelerate efforts to contain the disease, and those who do not think the above criteria have been met because the disease has not yet spread to new groups of people or had a high fatality rate, the sources said.
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