The World Health Organization (WHO) will reconvene an emergency committee meeting on the global monkeypox outbreak and whether it should be declared a global health emergency. According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the forum will be held in the week starting July 18 or earlier. Previously, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met to advise whether the outbreak of monkeypox should be considered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). PHEIC is the highest level of warning WHO can issue. Although some members expressed “differing views”, the WHO said in a statement that the outbreak should not constitute a PHEIC at this stage, although it noted the emergency nature of the event and that controlling further transmission required “intensive response efforts”. SINGAPORE CONFIRMS FIRST LOCAL CASE OF MONKEY INFECTION The committee advised that the event should be monitored and reviewed, with several conditions leading to re-evaluation. In a statement released in response to this decision, Tedros noted that the situation requires collective attention and coordinated action. Workers sit outside DC Health’s first smallpox vaccination clinic, which administers the first doses of Jynneos vaccine distributed in the U.S. capital, in Washington, U.S., June 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Gavino Garay) The overall risk of monkeypox infection is considered ‘moderate’ globally and high in the European region. About 80% of cases are in Europe, according to Tedros, and more than 6,000 cases have now been reported from 58 countries. BA.5 BECOMES US DOMINANT THE OMICRON SUBVARIABLE FILE PHOTO: Mock vials labeled “monkey pox vaccine” are seen in this picture taken May 25, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo) In the US, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that there are now 605 confirmed cases of smallpox and gonorrhea. The majority of these cases are in California and New York. Although the majority of new cases of monkeypox have been seen in gay or bisexual men, experts warn that anyone is at potential risk. A man waits for his dose of Jynneos vaccine as the city begins its first monkeypox vaccination campaign in Washington, U.S., June 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Gavino Garay) People usually become infected with the monkeypox virus through contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected animals or humans or through contact with materials contaminated with the virus. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Monkeypox, which is related to smallpox, has milder symptoms. Some symptoms of monkeypox include fever, chills, rash and aches, before the lesions appear. Reuters contributed to this report. Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find her on Twitter at @JuliaElenaMusto.
