The head of the WHO reiterated his concern about the outbreak of monkeypox and announced that he will convene the Emergency Committee, which must help him judge the seriousness of the crisis no later than the week of 18 July.
“Regarding monkeypox, I continue to be worried about the scale and the spread of the virus” which now has more than 6,000 cases in 58 countries, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a press briefing in Geneva.
Difficulties in screening
“Testing remains a challenge, and it is very likely that there will be a significant number of cases that are not identified”, underlined Dr. Tedros, indicating that Europe is the epicenter of the epidemic, with more than 80% of the cases recorded worldwide.
"In Africa, cases are emerging in countries that were previously unaffected, and record numbers are being seen in places that have previously had to deal with monkeypox," he added.
At its meeting on June 23, the Committee had judged that the outbreak of cases, although very worrying, did not constitute “a public health emergency of international concern”, the highest level of alert of the organization.
An unusual rise
An unusual upsurge in cases of this viral disease has been detected since May outside the countries of Central and West Africa where the virus is endemic.
The majority of cases identified outside endemic areas concern men who have sex with men, although cases of immunocompromised people and some children have been identified.
Monkeypox manifests with flu-like symptoms and rashes, usually clearing up on its own after two or three weeks.
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