The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern, despite divisions among members of the expert committee advising the agency, as the number of global cases exceeds the 16,000.
This is the first time WHO has declared a global health emergency since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020. In an unusual move, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus oppose the majority opinion of the emergency committee when making the statement.