Reasons why WHO declared monkeypox a global threat

Here are some of the reasons why the WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared Monkeypox a public health emergency.

Chetana Belagere

Published Jul 24, 2022 | 2:54 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 29, 2022 | 10:55 AM

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Rashes on the hand of a person with Monkeypox (WHO/Nigeria Centre for Disease Control)

The WHO on Saturday, 23 July, declared Monkeypox a global threat to public health.

Here are some of the reasons why the WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared it a public health emergency:

• It spread rapidly to at least 75 nations and territories
• More than 16,000 cases of the virus have been found only this year in countries that were endemic to the disease
• Criteria for declaring it a public health emergency of international concern have been met
• The number of cases has grown five-fold in the last three weeks, and more about the virus is yet to be known
• There are many unknowns about the virus. It needs global coordination to understand more about its transmissibility, spread, vaccines, and severity
• The disease can be counted as a risk to human health, with the potential to interfere with the international movement of people.

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