WHO declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency
New Delhi | Desk: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Monkeypox, an infectious disease, as a public health emergency.
The disease has been significantly affecting numerous countries in Africa including Kenya, Rwanda, Yuganda, and Burundi.
Health authorities have stated the new variant to be particularly dangerous.
Every year a large number of people die due to the spread of this disease.
In addition to Africa, other countries have also reported the spread of Monkeypox this year.
Sweden’s public health agency reported the first case outside Africa was detected in the African Peninsula.
Emergence of the new clade of mpox and its rapid outspread in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries is extremely concerning, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Furthermore, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention claimed the new variant of Monkeypox is more severe than the previous one.
Clade-I is endemic in Central Africa, and the current variant Clade Ib of this disease is more contagious, the organization added.
This year nearly 15,000 cases of infection due to the virus have been reported, with about 500 deaths recorded.
Monkey pox spreads due to close contact with someone including skin-to-skin, face-to-face, mouth-to-face, mouth-to-skin contact.
WHO recommendations
Last August, the WHO chief released standing recommendations under the IHR to monitor mpox cases.
These recommendations were set to expire in five days, on 20 August 2024, but will be extended for another year to “support countries to respond to the chronic risk of mpox”.
Some of the recommendations include enhancing community protection through adapting public health and social measures to local contexts, providing guidance and resources for delivering clinical mpox care and more.
Tedros said WHO is “committed in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries and leveraging our on-the-ground presence to prevent transmission, treat those infected and save lives”.
