LONDON -- v> The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in nearly 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency.
Advertisement
WHO panel: Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage'
Published Saturday, June 25, 2022 5:13PM EDT
In a statement, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were "unusual" and acknowledged that monkeypox, which is endemic in some African countries, has been neglected.
WHO nevertheless pointed to the "emergency nature" of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an "intense" response.
The committee said the outbreak should be "closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks.
-
This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP)