The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organization’s highest level of alert, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday.
The category of “public health emergency of international concern” is designed to raise alarm that a coordinated international response is needed and could unlock global funding and efforts to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.
Members of an expert committee that met on Thursday to discuss the possible recommendation were divided on the decision, two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters earlier, but the final decision rests with the agency’s director general. UN.
Announcing his decision to declare the health emergency during a media briefing in Geneva, Tedros confirmed that the committee had not reached a consensus, with nine members against and six in favor of the declaration.
Previously, Tedros used to support the recommendations of the expert committees, but the sources said that he had probably decided to support the highest alert level due to concerns about the increase in cases and the shortage of vaccines and treatments, despite the lack of a majority opinion.
Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown law professor in Washington, DC, who follows the WHO, said he applauded the body’s political courage.
“It does nothing more than polish the stature of the WHO. The correct outcome is clear: failing to declare the emergency at this time would be a historic missed opportunity.”
So far this year there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries, and five deaths in Africa.
The viral illness – which is spread by close contact and often causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions – has spread mainly to men who have sex with men in the recent outbreak, outside of Africa, where it is endemic.
June meeting
Until now, the label has only been applied to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.
The WHO and national governments have come under intense pressure from scientists and public health experts to take more action against monkeypox.
Cases of this viral disease have skyrocketed since the committee first met in late June, when there were only about 3,000 cases.
At the time, the group of experts agreed to reconsider its position on declaring an emergency if the outbreak escalated.
One of the key questions driving the reassessment was whether cases – which are proliferating almost entirely among men who have sex with men – would spread to other groups, particularly children or others who have been vulnerable to the virus. in previous outbreaks in endemic countries.
On Friday, the United States identified its first two cases of monkeypox in children.
Any change in the virus itself could also prompt a rethink, according to the committee.
