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The World Health Organization has decided not to declare monkeypox a global state of emergency, despite the rapid increase in cases in Europe, and instead chose to describe it as a “growing health threat”.
The announcement Saturday comes after the WHO Emergency Committee met last week to discuss whether the monkeypox epidemic should be labeled as a public health emergency of international concern or PHEIC, which would direct new funding and push governments to action.
WHO considers monkeypox to be a global emergency as cases in Europe increase
WHO Director-General Tedros Adanom Gebrejesus said the committee shared “serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current epidemic”, which he said covered more than 50 countries, with about 3,000 cases since early May.
The Committee agreed that the outbreak required “coordinated action” to halt the further spread of the monkeypox virus, using public health measures, including surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and patient care.
But there were differing opinions among committee members as to whether the event was still an international health emergency – the highest level of warning the WHO could issue. The coronavirus that causes covid-19 was designated a PHEIC after a similar meeting in January 2020.
“Everyone is tired of the COVID pandemic and no one wants to hear about another type of infectious disease outbreak. But the point is that we are somehow on the brink of detention among men who have sex with men. … And to get us where we need to go, we need global coordination and global commitment, ”said Greg Gonsalves, an infectious disease expert at the Yale School of Public Health, who believes that monkeypox should be declared a global state of emergency now.
Gonsalves, a non-voting adviser to the WHO Emergency Committee, said he was particularly concerned about a possible jump in the show during the pride celebrations that are taking place around the world in the autumn.
Monkeypox is spread through close contact and so far mainly affects men who have sex with men. It begins with flu-like symptoms before fluid-filled lumps or lesions appear on the skin, which can leave permanent scars. Health officials say the latest epidemic has often led to genital rashes, and while most cases are mild and patients recover in three weeks, the virus can be fatal and pose a greater risk to pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems.
The Committee noted that smallpox has been circulating in a number of African countries for decades and has been neglected in terms of research, attention and funding, a point that previously led some experts to propose a double standard in responding to the outbreak in Europe.
“This needs to change not only for monkeypox, but also for other neglected diseases in low-income countries, as the world is once again reminded that health is an interconnected proposition,” Tedros said in a statement Saturday.
“What makes the current epidemic particularly worrying is the rapid, continuing spread to new countries and regions and the risk of further, prolonged transmission to vulnerable groups, including immunocompromised people, pregnant women and children,” he added.
Tedros said Thursday that nearly 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox and about 70 deaths have been reported in Central Africa this year.
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In a separate statement Saturday, the WHO committee noted that “many aspects of the current epidemic in several countries are unusual”, including cases reported in countries where the virus has not been previously documented, “and the fact that most cases are observed among men who have sex with young men who have not previously been immunized against smallpox. “
The first case of monkeypox in the United States was discovered on May 17. More than 100 cases have been added in the last five weeks, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California, New York and Illinois are listed as the states with the highest levels of infection.
Some experts in the United States are calling on the White House to conduct in-depth tests to avoid a pandemic failure.
The UK has the highest reported number of infections outside Central and West Africa, with almost 800 cases of the virus reported in the last month.
The United States will expand monkeypox testing in commercial laboratories as the outbreak increases
Jennifer Hassan from London contributed to this report.
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