Mpox Remains An International Public Health Emergency, Says WHO Chief

ISTANBUL, Nov 23 (Bernama-AA) – World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Friday that the mpox virus continues to constitute an international public health emergency, Anadolu Agency (AA)  reported. 

The WHO Emergency Committee met on Friday to discuss the virus, Tedros said in a statement on X, adding that it “advised me that the upsurge of mpox continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern — I have accepted that advice.”

He emphasised that the decision was based on the increasing number of cases, the geographical spread, operational challenges on the ground, and the need to establish and sustain a consistent response among countries and partners.

He called on affected countries to intensify their efforts and urged the international community to work together to bring an end to the outbreak.

The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency in August for the second time in two years, following the spread of a new variant of the viral infection from Congo to neighbouring countries.

Mpox is a viral disease, formerly known as monkeypox, before the WHO renamed it in 2022 following complaints that the name was racist and stigmatising.

The zoonotic disease can be transmitted to humans through close physical contact with an infectious person or small wild animal, or via contaminated materials.

Common symptoms include rashes or lesions, along with a flu-like fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, general weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.

--BERNAMA-AA