On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared the global monkeypox outbreak a global emergency. Monkeypox has spread to more than 70 countries worldwide.
The decision was made after the WHO convened an emergency committee on Thursday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acted as “a tiebreaker” when the committee couldn’t come to a consensus. It was the first instance where a U.N. health agency chief made such a decision without expert recommendation.
“We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little,” the Director-General said. He acknowledged that there are “divergent views.”
The declaration could help prompt more investment into treating monkeypox. One drawback is that it could send people running toward already scarce vaccines.
Since May, more than 16,000 cases of the once-rare disease have been reported in 74 countries. It’s possible to spread monkeypox person-to-person from direct contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids, respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact, or through intimate physical contact like sex, cuddling, or kissing. You can become infected by touching items that have previously come into physical contact with the rash or body fluids. And a pregnant woman can spread it to their fetus.
Infected animals can spread the disease to humans through a scratch or a bite. And preparing or eating meat or using the products of an infected animal.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it was “supportive” of the WHO’s emergency declaration. The agency hopes it will spur international action to combat the outbreaks.
