WHO declares monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern

The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

 

WHO defines a PHEIC as "an extraordinary event" that constitutes a "public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease" and "to potentially require a coordinated international response."

 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said when he made the declaration, "for the moment, this is an outbreak that's concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those who have multiple partners. That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups."

 

But anyone can catch the virus through close contact. In the case of two children in the United States who tested positive for the virus last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this could include "holding, cuddling, feeding, as well as through shared items such as towels, bedding, cups, and utensils."

 

Two months after the United States' first monkeypox case was confirmed, the total count has risen to almost 3,500, but more robust case data is still lacking.

 

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she anticipates an increase in cases in the coming weeks for three main reasons: a streamlined reporting form that makes it quicker and easier for states to report cases; a surge in testing as commercial laboratories begin to offer tests; and recent exposures that will start to show symptoms.