The World Health Organization on Thursday, May 11, said that the global outbreak of monkeypox is no longer an international emergency. In recent months, a sharp decrease in the number of cases of this disease has been recorded in the world.
As you know, in July last year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared smallpox an “emergency” situation. It qualified as a global crisis. Ghebreyesus canceled the decision of the WHO expert committee, which did not recommend the introduction of an emergency. But now, with cases down about 90% in the past three months, an expert committee has concluded that smallpox is no longer a major concern, the AP reports.
“We are now seeing steady progress in the fight against the outbreak based on the lessons of HIV and close collaboration with the communities most affected. I am pleased to announce that smallpox is no longer a global health emergency. most have not materialized,” the CEO said.
Smallpox has been documented in parts of central and western Africa for decades. It was not known then that the disease causes large outbreaks outside the continent or spreads easily in Europe, North America and other countries.
Smallpox most commonly causes symptoms such as rash, fever, headache, muscle pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Skin lesions can last up to a month. The disease is spread through close physical contact with an infected patient, their clothing, or other items.
As a result, European health authorities have stated that 98% of smallpox patients are men, of which 96% are men who have sex with men.
Smallpox vaccines were quickly introduced in rich countries. Since then, the number of cases in Europe and North America has slowed. The WHO now reports more than 87,000 cases and 140 deaths worldwide. And in the last week, the number of cases has increased by 64%.
As reported by GLOBAL HAPPENINGS, WHO has previously renamed monkeypox, the outbreak of which occurred in Europe in 2022. The disease became known as mpox.
Source: Obozrevatel
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