While the cases of monkey pox continue to increase in several countries of the Americas, the states of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held a special session of its Directing Council to consider a resolution that seeks to address the outbreak.
Said resolution that includes support for equitable access to the vaccine for populations at higher risk, it also includes a series of recommendations to prevent the disease in countries where it has not been detected.
“The declaration of public health emergency of international importance came with detailed recommendations both for countries and territories that have not detected any cases and for those that already have imported cases or transmission in their communities,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne.
These recommendations, which PAHO is working with member states to implement, include the risk communication and the participation of affected communitiesearly detection and surveillance, treatment and isolation of patients, and contact tracing.
The adopted resolution also requests the Director of PAHO to facilitate a coordinated response and take action to support its member states to have access to this vaccine through the organization’s Revolving Fund.
It also requests that the countries of the Americas region continue to recognize PAHO and its Revolving Fund as the most appropriate strategic regional technical mechanism for provide equitable access to this and other vaccines.
Given these requests, Etienne pointed out that currently there is only one third-generation vaccine against monkeypox in the world, and explained that although supplies of these vaccines are extremely limitedPAHO has entered into the first negotiations with its producer.
It is worth remembering that on July 23, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency of international importance. The current outbreak began in mid-May and has so far affected 89 countries around the world.
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