The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the Monkeypox outbreak, which has now spread to more than 70 countries, constitutes a global health emergency.."We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which we understand too little and which meets the criteria in the international health regulations," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday..Tedros added the outbreak is spreading rapidly and there is a "clear risk of further international spread.".The emergency declaration serves as a call for more countries to commit resources and attention to the outbreak..The WHO previously declared pandemics for the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, the 2016 Zika virus outbreak, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic..According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since May. Monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, primarily in Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo..Monkeypox has been established in parts of Africa for decades, but beginning in May outbreaks were found in parts of Europe and North America. While Monkeypox is primarily spread through skin-to-skin contact, one study at U.K. hospitals suggested the virus could also be airborne..According to Reuters, members of a WHO expert group were torn over whether the monkeypox outbreak represented a global health emergency ahead of the announcement. While Tedros has always followed the group's recommendation, he chose to go against dissenting views and declare a health emergency..This marks the first time the chief of a United Nations agency has done so.."I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views among the members," Tedros said.
