New Delhi: Monkeypox is declared as a Public Health Emergency of global concern by a coalition of scientists earlier formed against the COVID threat.
The announcement comes days after the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the International Health Regulations Emergency (IHRE) has been convened due to the spread of the Monkeypox virus to 32 non-endemic countries.
This designation of Monkeypox as a public emergency by the World Health Network (WHN) indicates that this outbreak is not limited to a single country or region and should be addressed by immediate actions to prevent community transmission.
The growth of Monkeypox in 58 countries through local community transmission around the world, with 3,417 confirmed Monkeypox cases reported across 58 countries, and the rate of growth of cases increasing week by week across multiple continents
The concern of Monkeypox is even more due to the spread of the infection amongst the children who were spared during the major COVID outbreak.
WHN further added that efforts are needed for widespread availability of testing, without restrictions based upon specific measures such as travel, known contact with the infected individuals, or membership with specific communities that are at high risk.
(With Agency Inputs)