World Health Organization (WHO) Declares Global Emergency Over the Monkeypox Virus

World Health Organization MonkeyPox Virus

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the monkeypox virus a global public health emergency. This declaration comes as a new form of the virus rapidly spreads across Africa, affecting more than a dozen countries.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, acting on the advice of an IHR Emergency Committee, has declared the upsurge of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African countries a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR).

The emergence of a new clade of monkeypox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and cases reported in neighboring countries are deeply concerning. Coordinated international efforts are needed to halt these outbreaks and save lives.

JUST IN: World Health Organization (WHO) declares global emergency over the monkeypox virus. pic.twitter.com/TPQYNVpTXk

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) August 14, 2024

This is the second PHEIC determination related to monkeypox in two years. The disease, caused by an Orthopoxvirus, was first detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC. It is endemic to central and west African countries. A global outbreak occurred in 2022, primarily transmitted via sexual contact, but that PHEIC was declared over in May 2023 after a sustained decline in cases.

As the world faces this health emergency, international collaboration and swift action are crucial to contain the spread of monkeypox and protect global health. History reminds us that neglecting such outbreaks can have far-reaching consequences. Let us act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself.

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