The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that there have been 14,000 cases of monkeypox infection worldwide and has decided to decide again whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for the disease.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on the 20th (local time) and said, "We have confirmed 14,000 cases of monkeypox worldwide and deaths from this disease. We also found out that five people came from Africa,” he said.
Secretary-General Tedros said that the International Health Emergency Committee will convene on the 21st to decide whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the spread of monkey pox.
The PHEIC is the highest public health alert the WHO can make.
When the prevalence of a specific disease is determined to be PHEIC, the WHO has a requirement to strongly promote various research, funding, and international health measures to contain it.
Corona 19 is the only thing that PHEIC is being maintained so far.
The WHO held an international health emergency committee meeting last month for monkey pox and reviewed whether to declare PHEIC, but judged that it did not meet the requirements yet in light of the level of spread or fatality rate.
Regarding COVID-19, Secretary-General Tedros said, "The average number of confirmed cases per week around the world has nearly doubled in the past six weeks and continues to increase."
"Omicron mutations continue to evolve, and as they have strong transmission power, a completely new mutation may come," he said.