The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the monkeypox outbreak as a global health emergency.
The declaration comes as the world reports over 16,000 cases of monkeypox.
WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the declaration at the end of the second meeting of the World Health Organization’s emergency committee on the virus.
According to him, the over 16,000 cases were recorded in 75 countries worldwide.
He noted that there have been five deaths related to monkeypox.
Monkeypox was initially discovered in central Africa back in the 1950s.
Currently, the world has at least two health emergencies namely the coronavirus pandemic and polio.
According to the WHO Director General, the emergency committee had been unable to reach a consensus on whether the monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a global health emergency.
He explained that the outbreak had spread around the world rapidly and he had decided that it was indeed of international concern.
Dr Tedros noted that “The WHO’s assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where we assess the risk as high.”
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