3,040 monkeypox cases reported to WHO from 47 countries since May 2022

Disease not int’l health emergency but requires monitoring’

THE World Health Organisation ( WHO), yesterday, said since the beginning of May 2022, 3,040 cases of monkeypox have been reported to the United Nations ( UN) apex health agency from 47 countries.

Director- General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, while transmitting the Report of the Meeting of the International Health Regulations ( 2005) Emergency Committee regarding the multi- country outbreak, yesterday, said there were more than 3,200 confirmed cases and one death reported to the agency in 48 countries between January 1, 2022 and June 15, 2022.

According to the situation update, the death occurred in Nigeria.

He concurred with the advice offered by the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, noting that the outbreak, currently, does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern ( PHEIC).

Ghebreyesus said transmission is occurring in many countries that have not previously reported cases of monkeypox, and the highest numbers are from countries in the WHO European Region.

“Overall, in the report, they ( the emergency committee) advised me that at this moment, the event does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, which is the highest level of alert WHO can issue but recognise that the convening of the committee itself reflects the increasing concern about the international spread of monkeypox,” he said.

Ghebreyesus noted further: “Initial cases of monkeypox detected in several countries in different WHO regions had no epidemiological links to areas that have historically reported monkeypox, suggesting that undetected transmission might have been ongoing for some time in those countries.