Monkeypox is not a global health emergency, WHO says

The head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday that the outbreak of monkeypox was deeply involved in the evolving threat, but does not currently constitute a global health emergency.

WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreez convened an expert committee on Thursday to advise whether to sound the strongest alarm against the outbreak of the UN Health Organization.

A surge in monkeypox cases has been detected since early May outside the countries of West Africa and Central Africa, where the disease has long been endemic. Most of the new cases occur in Western Europe.

This year, more than 3,200 confirmed cases and one death have been reported to WHO from more than 50 countries.

“The emergency committee shared serious concerns about the scale and rate of current outbreaks,” Tedros said, pointing out many unknowns about the spread and gaps in the data.

“At this time, we advised that this event does not constitute a public health emergency (PHEIC) of international concern. This is the highest level warning that WHO can issue, but the convocation of the Commission itself is international. We recognize that it reflects growing concerns about the spread of monkeypox. “

This outbreak is an “apparently evolving health threat,” Tedros said, using surveillance, contact tracing, patient isolation and care to make vaccines and treatments available to at-risk populations. He said immediate action was needed to prevent further expansion.

Needs “violent reaction”

According to the WHO report of the conference, “the majority of cases are observed between men of young age and men having sex”, mainly in urban “clustered social and sexual networks”. Will appear.

Although several members expressed different views, the Commission resolved by consensus to advise Tedros that the outbreak was not PHEIC at this stage.

“But the Commission unanimously acknowledged the urgency of the event and acknowledged that intensive response efforts were needed to control the further expansion of the outbreak.”

They are waiting to be reconvened in the coming days and weeks, depending on how the outbreak progresses.

The Commission recommended that countries improve diagnosis and risk communication.

While some members have suggested that the low level of herd immunity to poxvirus infections poses a risk of persistent infection, many aspects of the outbreak have been said to be abnormal.

Knowledge gap

The committee that reviewed this issue is composed of 16 scientists and public health experts, chaired by Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, a former director of the WHO Vaccine and Immunization Department.

Thursday’s five-hour private meeting was held directly at WHO’s Geneva headquarters via a video conference.

The Commission discussed current observations of stagnation or potential declining trends in case numbers in some countries. Difficulty in tracking contacts with anonymous contacts, and “potential links to international gatherings and LGBTQ + pride events that help increase exposure opportunities through intimate sexual encounters.”

They were also concerned that the potential stigma of the affected group could hinder their response efforts.

They said there was a knowledge gap about the mode of infection, duration of infection, access to vaccines and antivirals and their effectiveness.

Blistery rash

The usual early symptoms of monkeypox include high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a chickenpox-like rash.

The first outbreak has no epidemiological association with areas where monkeypox has been historically reported, suggesting that undetected infections may have continued for some time.

Few people have been hospitalized so far, but 10 cases have been reported among health care workers.

WHO’s current plans to contain spreads focus on raising awareness among affected population groups and encouraging safe action and safeguards.

Although there have been six PHEIC declarations since 2009, the last of which is for COVID-19 in 2020, the global slow response to alarm bells is still ranked by WHO headquarters.

PHEIC was declared after the 3rd Emergency Committee Meeting on 30 January. However, it wasn’t until March 11th that the rapidly deteriorating situation of Tedros was described as a pandemic, and many countries seem to have awakened to danger.