WHO says Monkeypox is not a global health emergency at the moment

Geneva: The World Health Organisation said the rapid spread of monkeypox across dozens of nations does not represent a global health emergency at this time.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described monkeypox as an evolving health threat, however, and urged governments around the world to step up surveillance, contact tracing, testing and to make sure that people at high risk have access to vaccines and antiviral treatments.

The WHO convened its emergency committee to determine what level of threat monkeypox currently poses to the international community. At least 3,000 monkeypox cases across more than 50 countries have been identified since early May, according to WHO data.

WHO Monkeypox global health
WHO and Monkeypox

Since early May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported from countries where the disease is not endemic, and continue to be reported in several endemic countries. Most confirmed cases with travel history reported travel to countries in Europe and North America, rather than West or Central Africa where the monkeypox virus is endemic.

This is the first time that many monkeypox cases and clusters have been reported concurrently in non-endemic and endemic countries in widely disparate geographical areas. WHO is collaborating with health authorities to prevent the further spread of the disease.

We are issuing guidance to help countries on surveillance, laboratory work, clinical care, infection prevention and control, as well as risk communication and community engagement to inform communities at risk and the broader general public about monkeypox and how to keep safe. We are also working closely with countries in Africa, regional institutions, and technical and financial partners, to support efforts to bolster laboratory diagnosis, disease surveillance, readiness and response actions to prevent further infections.

WAM