The ‘Monkeypox’ outbreak has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A global emergency is WHO’s highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal.
Till date, over 16,000 cases have been reported from 75 countries, said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
There had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak, he added.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the emergency committee believes the risk is moderate globally, except in the European region where they assess the risk as high.
“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” for a public health emergency of international concern, Dr Tedros said.
The main purpose of declaring a public-health emergency is to mobilize resources to contain the transmission of monkeypox, according to global health experts.
The WHO had previously convened its emergency committee in June but said the outbreak didn’t at that point constitute a global health emergency.
Too little was understood about the new modes of transmission which had allowed it to spread, Dr Tedros said.
“The WHO’s assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where we assess the risk as high,” he added.
There was also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remained low for the moment, he said.
Dr Tedros said the declaration would help speed up the development of vaccines and the implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus.
The WHO is also issuing recommendations which it hopes will spur countries to take action to stop transmission of the virus and protect those most at risk.
“This is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups,” Dr Tedros said.
Currently, there are only two other health emergencies – the Covid-19 pandemic and the efforts to eradicate polio.
Three cases of monkeypox have been reported in India till now. All of them have been reported from Kerala.
According to WHO, Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has been around 3–6%.
It is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus. Normally, monkeypox is spread from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and causes less severe illness. The symptoms of the disease are fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes, which may lead to a range of medical complications.
