WHO considers declaring monkeypox a global health emergency

New York, Jun 25: As the World Health Organisation convenes its emergency committee on Thursday to consider if the spiraling outbreak of monkeypox warrants being declared a global emergency, some experts say WHO's decision to act only after the disease spilled into the West could entrench the grotesque inequities that arose between rich and poor countries during the coronavirus pandemic.

But some experts say the WHO's decision to act only after the disease spilled into the West could entrench the grotesque inequities that arose between rich and poor countries during the coronavirus pandemic.

Declaring monkeypox to be a global emergency would mean the UN health agency considers the outbreak to be an "extraordinary event" and that the disease is at risk of spreading across even more borders, possibly requiring a global response.

Earlier talking to media persons, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak of monkey pox is unusual and concerning. For that reason he decided to convene the Emergency Committee under the international health regulations to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern . A statement in this regard will be issued tomorrow .

Currently 3,417 confirmed Monkeypox cases have been reported across 58 countries and it is rapidly expanding across multiple continents.

Meanwhile, the World Health Network (WHN) has announced Monkeypox outbreak a pandemic.