WHO declares monkeypox an international health emergency

The World Health Organization has declared the recent outbreak of monkeypox in numerous countries a public health emergency of international concern.

This alert is the maximum that the UN agency can activate so that countries put in place the necessary protocols with which to try to contain a viral outbreak and prevent it from becoming a pandemic. The last time the WHO made such a decision was in January 2020 when it declared COVID-19 an international health emergency.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus convened the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee last month when there had been 3,040 cases of monkeypox, from 47 countries, to assess whether the monkeypox outbreak in several countries it represented a public health emergency of international importance.

“At that meeting, although differing views were expressed, the committee resolved by consensus that the outbreak did not represent a public health emergency of international concern. Since then, the outbreak has continued to grow, and there are now more than 16,000 reported cases in 75 countries and territories, and five deaths,” Tedros told a news conference in Geneva.

Faced with this increase, Tedros decided to reconvene the Committee last Thursday, but this time the Committee was unable to reach a consensus on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international importance, so the director general had to act as referee and make the final decision.

“According to the International Health Regulations, I must consider five elements to decide if an outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international importance,” explained Tedros, who then presented these five points:

-First of all, the information provided by the countries, which in this case shows that this virus has spread rapidly to many countries that had not seen it before

-Second, the three criteria to declare a public health emergency of international importance according to the International Health Regulations, which have been met

-Third, the advice of the Emergency Committee, which has not reached a consensus

-Fourth, the scientific principles, evidence and other pertinent information, which are currently insufficient and leave us with many unknowns

-Fifth, the risk to human health, international spread and the potential for interference with international traffic.

Dr. Tedros added that, taking these elements into account, the WHO assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions except the European region, where the risk is assessed as high.

There is also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for now.

“In short, we have an outbreak that has spread rapidly around the world, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand very little, and which meets the criteria of the International Health Regulations,” he added.

And then he declared: “For all these reasons, I have decided that the global outbreak of monkeypox represents a public health emergency of international concern.

The reasons that the members of the Committee gave for and against will be set out in a report that the WHO will publish later.

Monkeypox lesions usually appear on the palms of the hands. (Photo: CDC)

The danger of stigma and discrimination

The head of the WHO pointed out that, although he was declaring a public health emergency of international scope, “at the moment it is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those who have multiple sexual partners” .

This means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups.

It is therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of women. affected communities.

“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus,” Tedros said.

In addition to our recommendations to countries, I also call on civil society organizations, including those with experience working with people living with HIV, to partner with us in the fight against stigma and discrimination.

The good news, Tedros said, is that in the case of monkeypox “you can stop the transmission and control the outbreak with the tools we have now.”

recommendations

Tedros said that the continuation has made a series of recommendations to four groups of countries, from which they have not yet reported any cases of monkeypox, or have not done so in more than 21 days; to those with newly imported cases of monkeypox that are experiencing human-to-human transmission, through countries where transmission is common between animals and humans, and countries that have the capacity to manufacture diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapies.

Among the recommendations, the WHO calls for:

-Implement a coordinated response to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups

-Involve and protect affected communities

-Intensify surveillance and public health measures

-Strengthen clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics

-Accelerate research on the use of vaccines, therapeutics and other tools

-Recommendations on international travel

(Font: UN News)