Health WHO says monkeypox is no longer a global health emergency

WHO says monkeypox is no longer a global health emergency

(CNN) The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Thursday that the outbreak of monkeypox, officially named “mpox”, is no longer a global health emergency.

In July 2022, the WHO declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. In his words, it was “an extraordinary event” that constitutes a “risk to the public health of other States through the international spread of the disease” and that could require “a coordinated international response.”

A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) creates an agreement between countries to follow WHO recommendations and manage the emergency. In turn, each country declares its own public health emergency, which has legal weight. Countries use them to pool resources and waive rules in order to alleviate a crisis.

Following a meeting this week, the WHO Monkeypox Emergency Committee recommended ending the measure. Likewise, the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, agreed with this decision.

“The monkeypox emergency committee met yesterday and recommended that the multinational outbreak of the disease no longer represents a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice and am pleased to declare that monkeypox is no longer a global health emergency,” Tedros said. “However, as with covid-19, that does not mean the job is done. Monkeypox continues to pose significant public health challenges that need a robust, proactive and sustainable response.”

The director general urged countries to maintain their analytical capacity and their ability to respond quickly to future outbreaks.

From January 2022 to April 2023, more than 87,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox, including 140 deaths, have been reported to WHO from 111 countries or territories. More than 30,000 cases have been reported in the United States. Globally, cases have been declining for months, especially as awareness of the disease has increased and the availability of a vaccine has become widespread.

Tedros noted that 90% fewer cases have been reported in the last three months than in the previous 90 days.

Dr. Nicola Low, co-chair of the International Health Regulations monkeypox emergency committee, said that despite the declining number of cases, transmission continues to circulate.

“Therefore, there is understandable uncertainty about the likelihood of a major resurgence of infection. There are also gaps in knowledge, which we recognize include modes of transmission in some countries, the efficacy of vaccines, and the continued lack of countermeasures. effective, particularly in African countries where transmission and cases of monkeypox occur regularly,” he said.

Therefore, the committee suspended the public health emergency “after intensive deliberations and debates”, but determined that the best way to solve the problems was through a long-term approach and not with emergency measures.

Monkeypox is a less serious relative of the now eradicated smallpox virus. It is endemic to parts of West and Central Africa and is usually contracted from a rodent or small mammal.

In the recent outbreak, gay and bisexual people have made up the majority of cases, although anyone who has close personal contact with someone who is infected is at risk.

“While stigma has been a major concern in managing this epidemic and continues to hinder access to monkeypox care, the feared backlash against hard-hit communities has largely failed to materialize. As such, we’re grateful,” Tedros said.

The virus can be spread through contact with bodily fluids, sores, or items such as clothing and sheets that are contaminated with the virus. It can also spread from person to person through respiratory droplets, usually in a close environment.

Tedros said that while the global health emergencies of monkeypox and covid-19 are over, there is still a chance they could re-emerge.

“Both viruses continue to circulate and both continue to kill,” he said.

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