The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organisation's highest level of alert, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday.
The WHO label — a"public health emergency of international concern " — is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.
"Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners," Tedros told a media briefing in Geneva.He said the risk of monkeypox — which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions — was moderate globally, except in the Europe, where the WHO has deemed the risk as high.
Previously, Tedros has typically endorsed expert committee recommendations, but two sources told Reuters earlier on Saturday said he had likely decided to back the highest alert level due to concerns about escalating case rates and a short supply of vaccines and treatments.
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