Xinhua News Agency, Geneva, July 23 (Reporter Liu Qu) World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on the 23rd that the monkeypox epidemic, which has spread in 75 countries and regions, has constituted a "public health emergency of international concern". , which is the highest level of public health alert that WHO can currently issue.
Tedros convened the WHO Emergency Committee for the second time on the 21st to discuss the multi-country monkeypox outbreak, but the committee could not reach a consensus on whether the outbreak constituted a "public health emergency of international concern".
However, at the press conference on the 23rd, Tedros decided to announce that the monkeypox epidemic alert was raised to this highest level.
Tedros said that under the International Health Regulations, five factors need to be considered when deciding whether an outbreak constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern".
First, the information provided by various countries shows that the monkeypox virus has rapidly spread to many countries that have never had cases before; The outbreak of pox has been satisfied; third, the emergency committee has not reached a consensus, but it is determined to provide support for the decision of the Director-General; fourth, the scientific principles, evidence and other relevant information on monkeypox are currently insufficient, and there are still many unknowns Fifth, monkeypox poses a risk to human health, may form international spread, and potentially interfere with international traffic.
Tedros also added that while he declared the monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern," "for now, this is a pandemic that focuses on men who have sex with men, especially with multiple sexual partners. outbreaks among men”.
Therefore, outbreaks can be stopped by employing the right strategies in the right groups.
The WHO Emergency Committee, which first met on the monkeypox outbreak in June, advised Tedros to not designate the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" for now.
According to WHO data, 75 countries and territories have reported more than 16,000 cases to the organization, including five deaths.
WHO's current assessment of the outbreak is high risk only in the European region, and moderate risk globally and in all other regions.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.
In the past few weeks, several European and American countries have reported multiple clusters of monkeypox virus, most of them involving men who have sex with men.
The WHO said that monkeypox cases are often found in West and Central Africa, and it is not normal for confirmed and suspected cases to be reported in several countries without any travel history to monkeypox-endemic areas.