The World Health Organization Has Deemed Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency

Monkeypox is an outbreak that has spread quickly throughout the world in regards to new modes of transmission that is still not fully understood by the World Health Organization. It also fully falls under the requirements for an emergency under international health regulations.
 
“For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern”, stressed the World Health Organization’s Director, Mr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus. The announcement was made on Saturday during a press conference. Tedros further stated that the risk of monkeypox is currently moderate worldwide and across all regions, with the exception of Europe, where the risk is high.
 
Although the risk of interfering with international traffic is currently low, he continued, "there is also a clear risk of further international spread." As of now, there have been five fatalities and more than 16,000 reported cases from 75 countries and communities.
 
The head of WHO highlighted that although he was announcing a global public health emergency, the monkeypox outbreak is currently concentrated among men who have sexual intercourse with other men, especially those who have multiple sexual partners. This means that the outbreak can be stopped with the appropriate strategies applied by the appropriate groups, he said.
 
Tedros argued that it is crucial for all nations to collaborate closely with communities of men who have sex with men in order to create and deliver information and services that are effective, as well as to adopt policies that safeguard the communities' health, human rights, and dignity.
 
Furthermore, he emphasized that stigma and discrimination "can be as dangerous as any virus" and urged civil society organizations, particularly those with knowledge of working with HIV-positive individuals, to collaborate with the agency in the fight against stigma and discrimination. He emphasized, "With the resources we currently have, we can halt transmission and contain this outbreak.
 
WHO advises nations to take the following actions to combat the monkeypox outbreak: implement a coordinated response to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups, activate and safeguard impacted communities, increase public health and surveillance efforts, accelerate research into the use of vaccines, therapeutics, and other tools, and to strengthen clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics.