WHO is considering declaring that the outbreak of monkeypox is a global health emergency

London (AP) — The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee on Thursday to consider whether the surge in monkeypox justifies being declared a global emergency. However, some experts say that WHO’s decision to act only after the disease has flowed to the west establishes the grotesque inequality that arose between rich and poor countries during the coronavirus pandemic. Say there is a possibility.

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Declaring monkeypox as a global emergency risks the UN health agency seeing the outbreak as an “abnormal event” and spreading the disease across more borders, perhaps with a global response. Means it is necessary. It also gives monkeypox the same distinction as the COVID-19 pandemic and makes ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.

WHO said it has no plans to announce the decisions made by the Emergency Commission by Friday.

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. In one version of the disease, up to 10 percent of infected people die. Versions of this disease found in Europe and elsewhere usually have a case fatality rate of less than 1% and no deaths have been reported outside Africa.

“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 only the experts. When the disease appears in a white country,” He said.

Until last month, monkeypox did not cause large-scale outbreaks across Africa. Scientists haven’t found mutations that suggest the virus is more contagious, and WHO’s lead adviser last month saw a surge in cases in Europe in two raves, Spain and Belgium. He said it may be related to the sexual activity of gay and bisexual men.

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.More than 80% of cases 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 has also proposed the creation of a vaccine sharing mechanism to support affected countries. Affected countries may have vaccines spread across Africa to richer countries such as the United Kingdom, which has the largest monkeypox outbreaks. Recently, we have expanded the use of vaccines.

To date, the majority of cases in Europe have been gay or bisexual men, or other men who have sex with men, but scientists have found that those who are in close contact with the infected, or theirs. Clothes and bed sheets warn of the risk of infection, regardless of sexual orientation. People with monkeypox often experience symptoms such as fever, body aches, and rashes. Most recover within a few weeks without 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 rise to emergency levels like COVIDHowever, 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.