While making the announcement at a virtual media briefing after the emergency committee meeting, the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, disclosed that the declaration was necessitated by the rising cases of the disease reported by 75 countries across the world. The cases have gotten to 16,000 with five deaths across the world.
He, therefore, cautioned against discrimination and stigmatization, saying that it is ‘dangerous’.
According to him: “In light of the evolving outbreak, I reconvened the committee on Thursday of this week to review the latest data and advise me accordingly. I thank the committee for its careful consideration of the evidence, and issues.
“On this occasion, the committee was unable to reach a consensus on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.
“The reasons the committee members gave for and against are laid out in the report we are publishing today.
“Under the International Health Regulations, I am required to consider five elements in deciding whether an outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern:
“First, the information provided by countries – which in this case shows that this virus has spread rapidly to many countries that have not seen it before;
“Second, the three criteria for declaring a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations, which have been met;
“Third, the advice of the Emergency Committee, which has not reached consensus; fourth, scientific principles, evidence and other relevant information – which are currently insufficient and leave us with many unknowns; and fifth, the risk to human health, international spread, and the potential for interference with international traffic,” he said.
The Director General said that: “WHO’s assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where we assess the risk as high.
“There is also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for the moment.
“So in short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations.
“For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”
Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus, therefore, called on countries that have not yet reported a case of monkeypox, or have not reported a case for more than 21 days; those with recently imported cases of monkeypox and that are experiencing human-to-human transmission to implement a coordinated response to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups; and engage and protect affected communities
Other recommendations include intensifying surveillance and public health measures; strengthening clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics; accelerating research into the use of vaccines, therapeutics and other tools.
He disclosed that “WHO’s Member States are also considering targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations, including ways to improve the process for declaring a public health emergency of international concern.
“Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.
“That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups.
“It’s therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities.”
While calling on CSOs to rise to the occasion by stopping discrimination and stigmatization, the WHO Chief said: “I am also calling on civil society organizations, including those with experience in working with people living with HIV, to work with us on fighting stigma and discrimination.”
