Concerns about a further increase in cases of monkeypox have prompted the World Health Organization to convene its emergency committee, the second time in four weeks.
The committee deliberated Thursday on whether the situation poses a major threat to public health and whether an “emergency of international concern” should be declared.
The emergency declaration is the WHO’s highest alert level for health threats, but has no immediate consequences.
It aims to alert governments to take measures to protect their populations.
The WHO does not normally publish information on the results of these deliberations on the same day.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the start of the meeting that he remained concerned about the increase in cases and countries reporting cases.
However, he added that there is a downward trend in some countries.
The fact that most men who have sexual contact with many other men are affected is problematic in containment efforts because of “life-threatening discrimination,” he said.
“In some countries, affected communities face life-threatening discrimination. There is a very real concern that men who have sex with men may be stigmatized or blamed for the outbreak, making the outbreak much more difficult to track and stop,” Tedros. said
As of July 20, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 15,000 cases of monkeypox this year, the vast majority in more than 60 countries where the disease was previously unknown. monkey pox
The treatable disease, which is spread through close physical contact, presents with a rash that may look like pimples or blisters.
Lesions usually appear first on the face before forming on other parts of the body.