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In a news conference, WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, "I have determined that the worldwide #monkeypox epidemic represents a public health emergency of international significance."
He said that a panel of specialists had convened on Thursday but were unable to come to a decision, thus it was up to him to determine whether to raise the level of alert.
The WHO has determined that the risk of monkeypox is moderate worldwide and in all areas, except the European region, where we have determined that the risk is high.
According to a report released on July 20 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox has afflicted over 15,800 persons in 72 countries.
Since early May, there has been an increase in monkeypox cases outside of the West and Central African nations where the illness has long been prevalent.
On June 23, the WHO established an emergency committee (EC) of specialists to determine if monkeypox qualifies as a PHEIC, the highest degree of alert recognised by the UN health organisation.
But the majority told Tedros that the issue had not yet reached the necessary level.
With the number of cases increasing, a second meeting was convened on Thursday, and Tedros expressed concern.
Tedros addressed the lengthy meeting, saying, "I need your opinion in appraising the immediate and mid-term public health ramifications."
Late on Friday, a US health specialist issued a dire warning.
"We've noticed an exponential increase of cases since the last #monkeypox EC just a few weeks ago. In the upcoming weeks and months, there will unavoidably be a sharp increase in instances. Therefore, @DrTedros must issue a worldwide warning "The WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law's director, Lawrence Gostin, stated on Twitter.
"Global health would suffer severely if we do not act."
Monkeypox is a contagious viral virus similar to smallpox that was discovered in humans for the first time in 1970. Smallpox was eliminated from the world in 1980.
The largest study to date, including 528 individuals in 16 nations, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and found that 95% of cases were spread through sexual activity.
Approximately a third of those affected were known to have gone to sex-on-site locations like sex parties or saunas within the preceding month. Overall, 98 per cent of those infected were homosexual or bisexual males.
In a previous statement, Tedros expressed concern that stigma and scapegoating could make the outbreak more difficult to monitor. "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.
The European Union's drug watchdog on Friday recommended for approval the use of Imvanex, a smallpox vaccine, to treat monkeypox.
Ivan, developed by Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, has been approved in the EU since 2013 for the prevention of smallpox.
It was also considered a potential vaccine for monkeypox because of the similarity between the monkeypox virus and the smallpox virus.
The first symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headaches, muscle pain and back pain for five days.
Rashes subsequently appear on the face, the palms of hands and the soles of feet, followed by lesions, spots and finally scabs.