Monkeypox still a global health emergency, says WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says monkeypox is still a global health emergency.

In July, the WHO declared the multi-country monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of global concern.

A global emergency is WHO’s highest level of alert — the last public health emergency declared by the organisation was the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO said its international health emergency committee acknowledged that some progress has been made in the global response to the outbreak of monkeypox.

It said the committee, however, noted that there is little information available to determine whether transmission observed in Africa is mainly zoonotic (animal to human) or to determine the role of human-to-human transmission, including through intimate or sexual contact.

“Many low-income settings have the inadequate diagnostic capacity and do not yet have access to vaccines or therapeutics, despite clearly having the highest reported case fatality of all regions, and little information is available as to whether authorities are considering their use or requesting supplies,” the global body said.

“The committee noted that in high-income settings in which the outbreak was first experienced, preliminary information suggests significant declines in the number of newly reported cases of monkeypox.”

The committee agreed that monkeypox continues to meet its “criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”.

The committee said reasons for this conclusion include “ongoing transmission in some regions, continuing preparedness and response inequity within and between WHO member states, an emerging potential for greater health impact in vulnerable populations, continuing risk of stigma and discrimination, weak health systems in some developing countries leading to under-reporting, ongoing lack of equitable access to diagnostics, antiviral and vaccines, and research gaps needing to be addressed.”

Meanwhile, the WHO in its latest epidemiological report, said 73,437 cases of monkeypox and 29 deaths have been reported globally since January 1.

In Nigeria, from January 1 to September 11, 2022, 349 confirmed cases of monkeypox and seven deaths have been reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).