The WHO has declared monkeypox as a global health emergency. Monkeypox outbreaks are now seen as a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced at a virtual press conference Saturday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision comes as monkeypox outbreaks have met “the five elements in the International Health Regulations (IHR)” that decide whether an outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. Tedros, however, noted that the Monkeypox IHR Emergency Committee “was unable to reach a consensus” on whether monkeypox is a global health emergency. When asked about the committee’s split decision, Tedros said the committee’s job is not to make a decision on whether or not monkeypox should be declared a global health emergency.

Source: CBC News July 23, 2022 17:49 UTC