Home – Foreign – Monkeypox: WHO declares health emergency

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In July, global health authorities sounded the alarm over a mutation in the Mpox strain of the virus, commonly known as monkeypox, which spread along the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization reportedly convened an emergency committee meeting this week over concerns that a more deadly strain of the virus has spread to four African countries that have so far not been affected. CNN.

Following the consultations, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that he had declared a public health emergency of international concern — the highest level of alert under international health law.

“The detection and rapid spread of a new Mpox subtype in eastern DRC and neighbouring countries, and the potential for further spread within and outside Africa, is of great concern,” the Director-General said.

This status, also known as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), is granted by the World Health Organization to “exceptional events” that pose a public health risk to other countries through the international spread of the disease. The organization says these epidemics may require a coordinated response from the international community.

We all agree that the current acne outbreak is an extraordinary event. What is happening in Africa is just the tip of the iceberg.

said Dimi Ogoina, chairman of the committee.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 17,000 cases of Mpox have been reported in 13 African countries, with more than 500 deaths. Most of the cases have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that spreads easily between humans and infected animals. It can be spread through close contact or contaminated materials, according to the World Health Organization. Symptoms include fever, painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, lack of energy and swollen lymph nodes.

For decades, the disease was mainly found in Central and West Africa, but in 2022 it began to spread in Europe and North America. The World Health Organization previously declared the spread of smallpox a global health emergency in July 2022.

Tedros said on Wednesday: A coordinated international response is essential to stop these phenomena PopularityCareers and lives were saved.