BackWHO calls emergency meeting over monkeypox virus as cases rise: 10 updates
WHO chief said Europe is the current epicentre of the outbreak, recording more than 80% of monkeypox cases globally.
PremiumThe World Health Organization will soon hold a second meeting of the emergency committee on monkeypox as cases spread to more countries. The UN health agency's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said across the world, there has now been more than 6,000 cases recorded in 58 countries. WHO's experts will decide if the worsening outbreak now constitutes a global public health emergency -- the highest level of alert.
Here are 10 updates on Monkeypox virus:
Last month, the WHO convened an emergency committee of experts to decide if monkeypox constitutes a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) - the highest alarm that the WHO can sound. But a majority found the situation had not yet crossed that threshold.
“On monkeypox, I continue to be concerned by the scale and spread of the virus," the director general told a press conference from the WHO's headquarters in Geneva.
In Africa, cases are appearing in countries not previously affected and record numbers are being recorded in places which have previous experience with monkeypox, WHO said.
WHO chief said Europe is the current epicentre of the outbreak, recording more than 80% of monkeypox cases globally.
He acknowledged that testing remains a challenge and it’s highly probable that there are a significant number of cases not being picked up.
"My teams are following the data. I plan to reconvene the emergency committee so they're updated on the current epidemiology and evolution of the monkeypox outbreak, and implementation of counter measures," Tedros said. "I will bring them together in the week of July 18 or sooner if needed."
The WHO's 16-member emergency committee on monkeypox is chaired by Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is a former director of the WHO's Vaccines and Immunisation Department.
The normal initial symptoms of monkeypox include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a blistery chickenpox-like rash.
"WHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to coordinate the sharing of vaccine, which are currently scarce and need to be accessible to the most at risk people," said Tedros.
Last month, World Health Network (WHN) had however announced that they are declaring the current monkeypox outbreak a pandemic. The outbreak is rapidly expanding across multiple continents and will not stop without concerted global action, it said in a statement. (With Agency Inputs)
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