The World Health Organization (WHO) said the growing monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored, but does not warrant a declaration of a global health emergency.
In a statement on Saturday, the WHO’s emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were “unusual” and acknowledged that monkeypox – which is endemic in some African countries – has been neglected for years.
“While some members expressed differing views, the Committee resolved unanimously to advise the Director-General of WHO that this stage should be determined not to constitute an outbreak”, the WHO said in a statement. WHO said in a statement.
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The WHO nonetheless pointed to the “emergency nature” of the outbreak and said a “rapid” response was needed to control its spread.
The committee said the outbreak “should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks.” But if some new developments emerge – such as the cases of sex workers; spread to other countries or to countries that already have cases; increase in the severity of cases; or increasing rate of spread.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an emergency committee on Thursday after expressing concern about an epidemic of monkeypox in countries that had not previously reported the disease.
“The current outbreak is particularly rapid, continuing to spread to new countries and territories and there is a risk of continued transmission in vulnerable populations, including immunocompromised, pregnant women and children,” the WHO chief said.
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Monkeypox has sickened people in Central and West Africa for decades, but until last month, the disease was not thought to have caused significant outbreaks in several countries at the same time and included people who had it across the continent. There was no travel link for
Declaring a global health emergency means that the health crisis is an “extraordinary” event that requires a globally managed response and that a disease has a high risk of spreading across borders. The WHO had previously made similar announcements for diseases including COVID-19, Ebola in the Congo and West Africa, Zika in Brazil and the ongoing effort to wipe out polio.
The emergency declaration mostly serves as a plea to draw attention to global resources and the outbreak. Previous announcements have had mixed effects, given that the WHO is largely powerless when trying to persuade countries to act.
The WHO said this week it had confirmed more than 3,200 monkeypox infections in nearly 40 countries that had not previously reported the disease. The majority of cases are in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men and more than 80% of cases are in Europe.
A key WHO advisory said last month the spike in cases in Europe was linked to sexual activity by men in Spain and Belgium, speculating that its presence in the gay and bisexual community was a “random occurrence”. British officials have said that most cases in Britain involved men who reported having sex with other men in places such as saunas and sex clubs.
Scientists warn that anyone in close, physical contact with someone infected with monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of contracting the disease, regardless of their sexual orientation.
People with monkeypox often experience symptoms such as fever, body aches, and rash; Most recover within weeks without the need for medical care.
Monkeypox in Africa mostly affects people who come into contact with infected wild animals, such as rodents or primates. About 1,500 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Congo, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, including 70 deaths.
To date, scientists have found no mutations in the monkeypox virus to suggest that it is more transmitted or lethal, although several mutations have been detected indicating that the virus may have been spreading undetected over the years.
The variant of the disease that has spread outside Africa typically has a mortality rate of less than 1%, while the variant seen in Africa can kill up to 10% of affected people.
The WHO is also building a vaccine-sharing mechanism for monkeypox, allowing vaccines to go to wealthy countries such as Britain, which currently has the largest outbreak beyond Africa.
Some experts have warned that the coronavirus could exacerbate the deep disparities seen between rich and poor countries during the pandemic.
Dr. Erwin Radlener, a specialist in disaster preparedness and response at Columbia University, said: “France, Germany, the US and the UK already have a lot of resources and a lot of vaccines to deal with, and they don’t need vaccines from the WHO. ” ,
“What we should be doing is trying to help countries in Africa where monkeypox has been endemic and largely neglected,” he said. “Monkeypox is not COVID, but our attention should not be so distracted that it becomes a problem only when it appears in rich countries.”
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