Written by Amal Allam
Saturday, May 13, 2023 11:00 AM
Finally, after an outbreak of monkeypox disease in a number of countries in the world last year, the World Health Organization announced that monkeypox no longer represents a public health emergency of international concern.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, justified ending the health emergency for monkeypox, saying, “The Health Emergency Committee on Monkeypox met and recommended to me that the outbreak of smallpox mpox multi-country no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”
In a new statement, he added that, last July, a public health emergency of international concern was declared over a multi-country smallpox outbreak as the virus spread rapidly around the world..
In total, more than 87,000 cases and 140 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization, from 111 countries, adding, the World Health Organization has been greatly encouraged by the rapid response of countries, adding, we are now seeing steady progress in controlling the outbreak based on Learn the lessons of HIV and work closely with the most affected communities.
He added that the reason for ending the health emergency was the decrease in the number of cases, as fewer cases were reported by approximately 90% in the past three months, compared to the previous three months..
In particular, the work of community organizations, together with public health authorities, has been critical to informing people of the dangers of smallpox, encouraging and supporting behavior change, and advocating for access to tests, vaccines, and treatments for the most experienced.
Pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies have also played an important role in helping expand access to these countermeasures, he said.
He pointed out that while stigma was a major concern in managing this epidemic and continues to impede access to care for smallpox, the fearful negative reactions against the most affected communities have not materialized to a large extent, stressing that the Smallpox Emergency Committee met recently, It recommended to me that a multi-country outbreak of smallpox no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. I have accepted this advice, and I am happy to announce that smallpox is no longer a global health emergency. However, as with Corona, this does not mean that Work is over, monkeypox continues Mpox It poses significant public health challenges that need a strong, proactive and sustained response, adding that while we welcome the downward trend in smallpox cases globally, the virus continues to affect communities in all regions, including in Africa, where transmission is still poorly understood. Well, travel cases in all regions highlight the continuing threat. There is a particular risk for people living with untreated HIV infection. It remains important that countries maintain their testing capacities and efforts, assess their risks, assess their needs for response, and act. quickly when needed.
He said, it is recommended to integrate smallpox prevention and care into current health programs, to allow continued access to care, and a rapid response to address future outbreaks, as the World Health Organization will continue to work to support access to countermeasures as more information becomes available on the effectiveness of interventions..
He added, while the emergencies of smallpox and the Corona virus have ended, the risk of resurgence remains for both, both viruses continue to spread and both continue to kill..
And while two public health emergencies ended in the past week, every day WHO continues to respond to more than 50 emergencies globally, every day, we continue to support countries to tackle major health threats such as tuberculosis, and every day we continue to support countries to make progress towards coverage comprehensive health.
As we approach the World Health Assembly and the three high-level meetings later this year, we face great challenges, but also unprecedented opportunities to make real commitments and real change that make a real difference for generations to come.
