GENEVA (AP) – The World Health Organization will convene an emergency commission of experts to determine whether the growing epidemic of monkeypox, which has mysteriously spread beyond Africa, should be considered a global health emergency.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adanom Gebreyesus said on Tuesday that he had decided to convene an emergency commission on June 23rd because the virus had shown “unusual” behavior recently, spreading to countries far beyond parts of Africa where it is endemic.
“We also believe that there is a need for a coordinated response due to geographical distribution,” he told reporters.
Declaring monkeypox an international health emergency would give it the same designation as the COVID-19 pandemic, and means that the WHO normally considers the rare disease to be a continuing threat to countries around the world.
The United Kingdom said on Monday there were 470 cases of monkeypox across the country, with the vast majority being gay or bisexual men. British scientists said last week that they could not say whether the spread of the disease in the United Kingdom had reached its peak.
The meeting of external experts could also help improve understanding and knowledge of the virus, Tedros said after the WHO published new guidelines for vaccination against monkeypox.
Dr Ibrahima Soche Fol, WHO’s director of emergency for Africa, said the number of cases was growing every day and health workers were facing “many gaps in knowledge about the dynamics of transmission” – both in Africa and outside it.
“With the advice of the emergency committee, we can be in a better position to control the situation. But that doesn’t mean we’re heading straight for a public health emergency of international concern, “he said, referring to the WHO’s highest level of concern over viral outbreaks. “We do not want to wait until the situation is out of control to start calling the emergency commission.
The UN Health Agency does not recommend mass vaccination, but advises “reasonable” use of vaccines. It says disease control relies primarily on measures such as surveillance, follow-up and isolation of patients.
Last month, a leading WHO adviser said the epidemic in Europe and beyond had probably spread through sex at two recent rave parties in Spain and Belgium.
Scientists warn that anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, is susceptible to contracting monkeypox if they are in close physical contact with an infected person or his or her clothing or sheets.
The WHO is working with partner countries to establish a mechanism through which some smallpox vaccines – a related disease – can be made available to affected countries as research into their effectiveness against the new outbreak continues.
Tedros said more than 1,600 cases and nearly 1,500 suspected cases have been reported this year in 39 countries, including seven where monkeypox has been reported for years. A total of 72 deaths have been reported, but none in the newly affected countries, which include Britain, Canada, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United States.
The continuing outbreak of monkeypox in Europe and elsewhere is the first time the disease has been known to spread to people who have no connection to Africa.
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