WHO considers Mpox Outbreak Status as an international emergency

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday (4/8) that it was considering calling a committee of experts to advise on whether there is an outbreak. mpox development in Africa should be declared an international crisis.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN Health Organization, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was stepping up its response to the outbreak.

“As more deadly strains of mpox spread to many African countries, WHO, Africa CDC, local governments and partners are increasingly stepping up their response to stop the spread of disease,” Tedros said. in X, reported by AFP.

Tedros also said more funding and support was needed for a more comprehensive response.

“I am considering calling an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the mpox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern,” he said.

A Public Health Emergency of International Concern or PHEIC is the highest warning WHO can release to the world. Tedros, as WHO director-general, can say this on the advice of the committee.

At the same time the International Health Regulations are a legally binding framework for dealing with public health emergencies.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by a virus that is transmitted from animals to humans. Mpox can be transmitted from person to person through physical contact.

Mpox was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Mpox global outbreak two years ago caused the WHO to declare PHEIC running from July 2022 to May 2023.

(pea)

[Gambas:Video CNN]