Monkeypox outbreak has been declared as a disease of Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This declaration was done by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday as the disease has spread in about 75 countries mostly in the European region. The Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghrebeyesus made the declaration despite a lack of consensus among members of the WHO’s emergency committee on the monkeypox outbreak. His action is the first time a leader of a UN health agency has made such a decision.
Tedros asserted that “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,” and he further continued “I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views among the members” of the committee,”
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Monkeypox: WHO declares outbreak a global public health emergency
2022 CDC monkeypox global map
All you need to know on Monkeypox by the CDC
PHEIC, What is it to us?
The designation of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern is the WHO’s highest alert level. It is based on international health regulations established in 2005, to define countries’ rights and obligations in handling cross-border public health occurrences.
The WHO defines a PHEIC as “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.”
The WHO further explains how this definition implies a situation that is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond an affected country’s border and may require immediate international action.
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Monkeypox: WHO declares outbreak a global public health emergency
Author
Dr. P. Edem Nukunu,
Edem was an intern at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and currently serves as volunteer Scientist for SARS-CoV-2 at NMIMR and Medical director/Physician at MedNova. He is also a member of the Medical Journalists’ Association – Ghana and a member of the World Federation of Science Journalists as well as a member of the Global Emerging-Pathogen Treatment (GET) Consortium. (PLUS Faculty). Reach out for him via correspondent e-mail: penukunu@medhealth.info
