Monkeypox Outbreak a Global Health Emergency
Monkeypox Outbreak a Global Health Emergency: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday announced that the epidemic of monkeypox, which has infected approximately 16,000 individuals in 72 countries, has been upgraded to the status of a global health emergency, which is the organization’s highest possible alert level.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), made these remarks during a press conference: “I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.”
According to him, a committee of specialists that got together on Thursday was unable to come to a decision, thus it was up to him to determine whether or not to issue the highest level of alert that is conceivable.
“According to the World Health Organization’s estimate, the risk of monkeypox is moderate both internationally and in all regions, with the exception of the European region, where we assess the risk as high,” he continued.
According to a tally that was published on July 20 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, more than 15,800 persons in 72 countries have been infected with monkeypox.
Since the beginning of May, there has been an increase in the number of reported cases of monkeypox outside of the nations in West and Central Africa where the illness has for a long time been endemic.
On June 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) called together an emergency committee (EC) of health professionals to deliberate on whether or not monkeypox should be classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which is the highest level of concern issued by the United Nations’ health agency.
Tedros was told by the majority that the circumstance did not, at that point, meet the bar for the situation.
In the second meeting, which took place on Thursday, case numbers had continued to climb, and Tedros expressed concern about this development.
Tedros stated at the beginning of the discussion, which had been going on for more than six hours, “I need your help in analysing the immediate and mid-term ramifications for public health.”
Late on Friday, a health specialist from the United States issued a dire warning.
“Since the most recent #monkeypox epidemic clearance (EC) just a few weeks ago, the number of cases has increased exponentially. It is unavoidable that the number of instances will significantly increase in the weeks and months to come. That is why @DrTedros needs to send out a warning to the entire world, “On Twitter, WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law Director Lawrence Gostin, who also uses Twitter, wrote the following.
“The failure to act will have severe repercussions for the health of people all around the world.”
– A Word of Caution Regarding Discrimination –
Monkeypox is a viral virus that is similar to smallpox and was first discovered in humans in the year 1970. Despite its similarity to smallpox, however, monkeypox is less dangerous and contagious than smallpox, which was eradicated in the year 1980.
According to the findings of the most comprehensive study done to this point, which involved 528 participants from 16 different countries and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 95% of the cases were caused by the transmission of the virus through sexual activity.
In total, 98 percent of affected people were gay or bisexual men, and around a third of them were known to have frequented sex-on-site venues such as sex parties or saunas within the preceding month. Overall, the infection rate was quite high.
“This transmission pattern represents both an opportunity to implement targeted public health interventions and a challenge because in some countries, the communities affected face life-threatening discrimination,” Tedros said earlier, citing concern that stigma and scapegoating could make it more difficult to track the outbreak. “This transmission pattern represents both an opportunity to implement targeted public health interventions and a challenge because in some countries, the communities affected face life-threatening discrimination,” Tedros said earlier.
Imvanex, which is a vaccination for smallpox, was recommended for approval as a treatment for monkeypox by the agency that oversees drugs in the European Union on Friday.
The Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic is responsible for the development of Imvanex, which has been recognised as effective against smallpox in the European Union (EU) since 2013.
Because of the similarities between the virus that causes smallpox and the virus that causes monkeypox, this was also considered a possible vaccination for monkeypox.
Over the course of five days, those who have monkeypox will notice their first symptoms, which include fever, headaches, aching muscles, and back pain.
After that, rashes will show up on the face, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, which will be followed by lesions, patches, and eventually scabs.
