WHO declines to label monkeypox a global emergency

After 2 days of deliberation, an advisory panel convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded the monkeypox outbreak that has spread to more than 50 countries does not yet warrant the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), its highest alert level. WHO currently has PHEIC declarations for polio and COVID-19, and many infectious disease scientists had expected one for monkeypox. Monkeypox is endemic in many African countries but has never before spread so widely on other continents; more than 4100 cases have been recorded so far. “I am very surprised by the decision,” says Boghuma Titanji, a virologist at Emory University. “It feels again like a missed opportunity to focus much needed attention on the current situation.” Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale School of Public Health epidemiologist who advised the committee, also disagrees with its judgment. “I think they made a big mistake. They punted.” The panel’s report issued today suggests there was some disagreement on whether to issue the global alert. “While a few Members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO Director-General that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute a PHEIC,” it said. Along with accepting the panel’s decision, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus today issued a statement that said he was “deeply concerned” about the monkeyp...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news