The WHO considers the smallpox situation an emergency

The WHO plans to declare a worsening monkeypox (mpox) outbreak and declare the disease an international emergency. Medical Xpress wrote this on Sunday, August 4, with reference to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros indicated that a deadly strain of smallpox is spreading in several African countries.

“I am considering convening an emergency committee on International Health Regulations to advise me on whether the smallpox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern,” he said.

He noted that the WHO, together with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners, are intensifying efforts to combat the sharp spread of the disease.

A public health emergency of international concern (PHE) is the highest level of alert the WHO can declare, giving the director-general the authority to take decisive action based on the committee’s recommendations.

Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that is transmitted to humans from infected animals or through close physical contact with infected humans. The disease was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The last global outbreak of smallpox occurred two years ago.

Symptoms of the disease usually include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. The disease can be especially severe in young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

In Taiwan, the CDC has confirmed the first death from monkeypox (mpox).

Monkeypox is spreading all over the world. What you need to know about him