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MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Saturday declared the current monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
“For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” Ghebreyesus told a media briefing following the meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee.
NOW – WHO's Tedros: "I have decided that the global #monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern." pic.twitter.com/QPjiFSsBog
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The WHO chief noted that although the outbreak is 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.” At the same time, he called on countries to work closely with the affected groups, stepping up awareness campaigns, and warned against discrimination and stigma.
“That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups,” he added.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is usually transmitted to people from wild animals and is endemic in some African countries. The disease can be transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets and other contaminated materials. The disease usually results in fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.
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