REUTERSThe head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday an emergency committee will be convened to discuss whether the current mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo represents a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he had decided to convene an emergency committee in light of the spread of mpox in neighbouring countries and the potential for futher international spread within and outside Africa. An emergency committee is made up of international experts who provide technical advice and recommendations to the WHO chief about whether a disease outbreak is a "public health emergency of international concern" - the agency's highest level of alert. The U.N.-affiliated WHO said the emergency committee will be pulled together "as soon as possible" but did not provide a definite date for the meeting or other details. This prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency.
