With more than 70 countries and territories affected by the virus, the monkeypox virus is now declared a public health emergency of internal concern, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday stated that the world health body is finally sounding the highest alarm on the monkeypox virus, which is now said to have spread to at least 75 nations and territories. More than 16,000 cases of the virus this year.
The five factors that were considered while deciding on the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concerns, were highlighted by WHO DG, Ghebreyesus.
- The information provided by countries shows the rapid growth of the virus.
- The three criteria for declaring a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations have been met.
- The advice of the Emergency Committee has not reached a consensus and hence has zoomed up the numbers of affected.
- The “scientific principles, evidence, and other relevant information” are insufficient.
- The risk to human health, international spread, and the potential for interference with international traffic.
“So in short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations,” he said.
The WHO DG noted that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally except in the European region where we assess the risk as high, the DG also added that it is concentrated among homosexual men, especially with multiple partners.
Meanwhile, in India, three cases of monkeypox have been reported so far. Earlier, on July 14, India reported the first monkeypox case of a UAE traveler from Kerala. And even the other two cases were also reported in Kerala.