The World Health Organization (WHO) says Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is no longer a global health emergency, following a similar declaration with COVID-19.
WHO declared the highly contagious viral infection, Mpox, a public health emergency of international concern in July last year.
WHO: Mpox No Longer a Public Health Emergency
According to CNN, this time, the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that the Mpox outbreak is no longer a global health emergency concern. He pointed out that countries around the globe saw significantly lower cases, roughly down by a whopping 90% in the last three months.
The WHO chief says that he is "pleased to declare" that organization has accepted the advice of its emergency committee to lift the emergency alert against Mpox, The Straits Times reports. Ghebreyesus disclosed that the emergency committee of WHO issued him their recommendation to end the emergency for Mpox, which he has accepted.
But despite that, the director-general of the United Nations agency reminds everyone that the virus may still spread and continue to take lives. He emphasized that "Mpox continues to pose significant public health challenges" despite lifting the public health emergency designation. And as such, the WHO chief tells countries to remain vigilant against the possible threat of the Mpox contagious virus.
The recent declaration for monkeypox comes merely a week after WHO also ruled that COVID is no longer a public health emergency.
Monkeypox Cases Around the World
The WHO gave monkeypox a global health emergency designation in 2022 due to its alarming rise in cases last July. NBC notes that the emergency declaration given to Mpox is similar to other highly contagious diseases, which have killed thousands if not millions of lives, such as COVID-19, H1N1, Ebola, and polio.
The data from WHO reveals that Mpox has killed 140 people across hundreds of countries between the start of 2022 and April 2023. In total, the organization has recorded roughly 87,000 cases worldwide. Meanwhile, over 30,000 cases have made it to the United States, killing 42 people. CNN attributes the dwindling cases of monkeypox across the world to the improved awareness and widespread availability of vaccines.
The infectious virus, which the WHO says is still a threat, spreads from person to person through contact with sores and bodily fluids. On top of that, contaminated items of clothing and bedding could also help spread the disease.
Even with lifting the declaration for COVID-19 and Mpox, the WHO director-general urges countries to continue its efforts to tame these contagious diseases.
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