WHO is considering declaring monkeypox a global health emergency

World Health Organization convenes an emergency committee on Thursday Monkeypox WHO’s decision to ensure that it is declared a global emergency and to act only after an illness that has spilled into the west, some experts say, is a rich and poor country during the coronavirus pandemic. It is said that there is a possibility of fixing the inequality that has arisen between them.

Declaring monkeypox as a global emergency means that the United Nations health agency considers the outbreak an “abnormal event” and risks spreading the disease across more borders. It also gives monkeypox the same distinction as the COVID-19 pandemic and makes ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.

Many scientists suspect that such a declaration may help curb the epidemic, as developed countries recording the latest cases are already moving quickly to close it.

Last week, WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that he was “abnormally concerned” about the recent monkeypox epidemic seen in more than 40 countries, primarily in Europe. Monkeypox has sickened people in Central and West Africa for decades. There, one version of the disease kills up to 10% of people. So far, no deaths have been reported in trans-African epidemics.

“If WHO was really worried about the spread of monkeypox, it would have been possible to convene an emergency committee a few years ago when monkeypox recurred in Nigeria. Why did hundreds of cases suddenly occur? I didn’t know, “said Oyewale Tomori, a Nigerian virologist. WHO Advisory Group. “It’s a little strange that WHO called their experts only when the illness appeared in a white country,” he said.

Until last month, monkeypox did not cause large-scale outbreaks across Africa.Scientists haven’t found a major genetic change in the virus, and WHO’s key adviser said last month that a surge in cases in Europe was probably Sexual activity between gay and bisexual men In two rave, Spain and Belgium.

To date, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified more than 3,300 cases of monkeypox in 42 countries where the virus is normally absent. Over 80% of cases are in Europe. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 cases have already been seen in Africa this year, including 62 deaths.

David Fiddler, Senior Fellow of Global Health, Council on Foreign Relations, said WHO’s new attention to monkeypox as it spreads across Africa is between the rich and the poor as seen during COVID-19. He said it could inadvertently exacerbate the disparity.

“There may be good reason why WHO issued a warning only when monkeypox spread to rich countries, but to poor countries it looks like a double standard,” Fidler said. I did. He said that the global community is still struggling to ensure that the world’s poor are vaccinated against the coronavirus, and given competing priorities like malaria and HIV, Africans. Said it was unclear if he wanted a monkeypox vaccine.

“Unless the African government specifically demands a vaccine, it may be a bit of a favor to send the vaccine, as it is in the Western interest to block the export of monkeypox,” Fidler said.

WHO also Vaccine sharing mechanism To help affected countries where doses can be seen going to rich countries like the United Kingdom, which has the largest monkeypox outbreaks beyond Africa — and recently expanded the use of vaccines.

To date, the majority of cases in Europe have been men having sex with men, but scientists have found that people who are in close contact with the infected, or clothing and bed sheets, regardless of sexual orientation, are infected. Warns that there is a risk of. People with monkeypox often experience symptoms such as fever, body aches, and rashes. Most recover within a few weeks without the need for medical care.

Even if WHO announces that monkeypox is a global emergency, it is unclear what impact it could have.

In January 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 an international emergency. But until March, when many other authorities described it as a pandemic a few weeks later, few countries were paying attention. WHO was later accused of multiple failures throughout the pandemic. Some experts say it may be encouraging a quick response to monkeypox.

“After COVID, WHO does not want to be the last person to declare monkeypox an emergency,” said Amanda Glassman, Executive Vice President, Center for Global Development. “This may not go up to the level of an emergency like COVID, but it is still a public health emergency that needs to be addressed.”

Salim Abdulkalim, epidemiologist and deputy prime minister at KwaZulu-Natal University in South Africa, said WHO and others should work harder to stop monkeypox in Africa and elsewhere, but the world. I wasn’t convinced that an emergency declaration would be useful.

“There is a misguided idea that Africa is this poor and helpless continent, but in reality we know how to deal with the epidemic,” said Abdul Karim. He said stopping the outbreak ultimately depends on surveillance, patient isolation, and public education.

“Maybe we need a vaccine in Europe to stop monkeypox, but here we were able to control it in a very simple way,” he said.