The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency on Wednesday due to the spread of a new variant of monkeypox in Africa.
The WHO concluded that there is a risk of smallpox spreading internationally again after the 2022 outbreak and becoming a health risk in several countries.
In reaching a decision, the WHO was guided by a council of independent monkey experts who met in a so-called emergency committee at the invitation of the WHO, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva.
The purpose of declaring a state of emergency is to warn authorities around the world to prepare for possible events.
The first outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 450 people this year. It has now spread to central and eastern Africa, and scientists are worried about how fast the new variant is spreading and how high the death rate is.
This is not the first time that the WHO has declared a public health emergency over a measles outbreak. In the summer of 2022, the disease spread to nearly 100 countries, including Europe and Asia. This outbreak was brought under control by vaccinating the groups most at risk.
Source: LETA, DPA/BBC
2024-08-15 18:34:36
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