Geneva, Switzerland- The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghrebeyesus, has declared the ongoing monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
PHEIC is WHO’s highest alert level, meant to define countries’ rights and obligations in handling cross-border public health occurrences.
It is an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other countries through the international spread of disease and potentially requires a coordinated international response.
In addition, a PHEIC implies a situation that is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected and carries implications for public health beyond an affected country’s border and may require immediate international action.
“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. I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views among the members.
Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern for the moment, this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners. That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups,” said Dr. Tedros.
The monkeypox outbreak, which began in Europe in May, is the first disease outbreak to be labelled a public health emergency by the WHO since COVID-19 in January 2020, two months before the latter was declared a global pandemic by the organization.
According to the United States (US)’ Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 16 000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion, and those afflicted develop distinctive skin lesions.
If one contracts monkeypox they should isolate themselves at home as soon as they develop monkeypox symptoms. As with COVID-19, they should avoid close contact with friends, family members and pets, cover all skin rashes as much as possible and wear good quality masks if they must come in contact with others for medical care.
Nevertheless, a combined vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox is in production and has been distributed in major cities in the US, United Kingdom, and several European countries.
