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The World Health Organization has decided not to declare monkeypox smallpox a global emergency despite a rapid increase in cases in Europe, and has chosen to describe it as an “evolving health threat”.
The announcement comes on Saturday after the Emergency Committee of the WHO International Health Regulations met last week to discuss whether the smallpox outbreak should be labeled as a public health emergency of international concern or PHEIC, which would have gathered new funding and pushed governments to act.
The WHO considers declaring smallpox the monkey a global emergency as European cases increase
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the committee shared “serious concerns about the scale and speed of the current outbreak,” which he said spans more than 50 countries, with some 3,000 cases since of early May.
The committee agreed that the outbreak requires “coordinated action” to stop the spread of the monkeypox virus through public health measures such as surveillance, contact tracking, isolation and patient care.
But there were differing views among committee members on whether the event still constituted a health emergency of international interest, which is the highest alert level the WHO can issue. The coronavirus, which causes covid-19, was labeled as PHEIC after a similar meeting in January 2020.
“Everyone is tired of the COVID pandemic and no one wants to know about another type of outbreak of infectious diseases. But the point is that we are a bit on the cusp of restraint among men who have sex with men.… I to get us where we need to go, we need global coordination and global commitment, ”said Gregg Gonsalves, an infectious disease expert at Yale School of Public Health, who believes the monkey’s smallpox should be declare a global emergency now.
Gonsalves, a non-voting adviser to the WHO emergency committee, said he was especially concerned about a possible increase in transmission during Pride celebrations taking place around the world through the fall.
Smallpox smallpox is spread through close contact and has so far mainly affected men who have sex with men. It starts with flu-like symptoms before lumps or fluid-filled lesions appear on the skin, which can leave permanent scars. Health officials say the latest outbreak has often caused genital rashes, and while most cases are mild and patients recover within three weeks, the virus can be deadly and is more dangerous for people who are pregnant or with weakened immune system.
The committee noted that monkeypox has been circulating in several African countries for decades and has been neglected in terms of research, care and funding, a point that has previously led some experts to suggest a double standard in response to outbreak in Europe.
“This needs to change not just for monkeypox, but for other diseases neglected 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 and continuous spread to new countries and regions and the risk of subsequent and sustained transmission to vulnerable populations, including immunocompromised people, pregnant women and children,” she added.
Tedros said Thursday that nearly 1,500 suspected cases of smallpox and about 70 deaths have been reported in central Africa this year.
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In a separate statement on Saturday, the WHO committee noted that “many aspects of the current multinational outbreak are unusual,” including cases reported in countries where the virus had not been previously documented, “and the fact that s “observes the vast majority of cases. among men who have sex with men, of young age, not previously vaccinated against smallpox.”
On May 17, the first case of smallpox in the United States was detected. Over the past five weeks, more than 100 cases have been added, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California, New York and Illinois are listed as the states with the highest level of infection.
Some U.S. experts are calling on the White House to implement comprehensive testing to prevent pandemic failures.
Britain has the highest number of infections outside of Central and West Africa, with almost 800 cases of the virus recorded last month.
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Jennifer Hassan in London contributed to this report.