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The World Health Organization (WHO) will reconvene an emergency committee meeting on the global monkeypox outbreak and whether it should be declared a global emergency.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the forum will be held in the week starting July 18 or even earlier.
Previously, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met to advise on whether the outbreak of monkeypox should be considered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). A PHEIC is the highest level of alert the WHO can issue.
Although several members expressed “differing opinions”, the WHO said in a statement that the outbreak should not constitute a PHEIC at this stage, although it noted the extraordinary nature of the event and that controlling further transmission required “intense response efforts”.
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The committee recommended that the event be monitored and reviewed, with several conditions warranting reevaluation.
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 monkeypox vaccination clinic, which is administering 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 infection with monkeypox virus is considered ‘moderate’ globally and high in the European region.
About 80% of the cases are in Europe, according to Tedros, and more than 6,000 cases have already been reported from 58 countries.
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FILE PHOTO: Mock vials labeled “Monkey Pox Vaccine” are seen in this illustration 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 monkeypox and orthopoxvirus. Most 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 launches its first monkeypox vaccination campaign in Washington, U.S., June 28, 2022 (REUTERS/Gavino Garay) #
People usually get up infected with the monkeypox virus by contact with skin lesions or body fluids of infected animals or humans or by contact with materials contaminated with the virus.
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Monkeypox, which is related to smallpox, has milder symptoms.
some symptoms of monkeypox include fever, chills, rash, and pain before lesions develop.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find her on Twitter at @JuliaElenaMusto.
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