The boss of the WHO is worried about the outbreak of monkeypox. This Wednesday, he indicated that he would convene the emergency committee, which must help him judge the seriousness of the crisis, no later than the week of July 18.
“Regarding monkeypox, I continue to be concerned about the scale and spread of the virus” which now has more than 6,000 cases in 58 countries, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a press briefing in Geneva. On June 25, he considered that the outbreak did not justify triggering the organization’s highest level of alert.
“Testing remains a challenge, and it is very likely that there will be a significant number of cases that are not identified”, underlined Dr. Tedros, indicating that Europe is the epicenter of the epidemic, with more than 80% of the cases recorded in the world. “In Africa, cases are emerging in countries that were previously unaffected, and record numbers are being seen in places that have previously had to deal with monkeypox,” he added.
Upsurge in cases
At its meeting on June 23, the Committee had judged that the outbreak of cases, although very worrying, did not constitute “a public health emergency of international concern”, the highest level of alert of the organization. An unusual upsurge in cases of this viral disease has been detected since May outside the countries of Central and West Africa where the virus is endemic.
The majority of cases identified outside endemic areas concern men who have sex with men, although cases of immunocompromised people and some children have been identified. Monkeypox manifests with flu-like symptoms and rashes, usually clearing up on its own after two or three weeks.