“I am considering convening an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the outbreak of [monkeypox] should be declared a public health emergency of international concern,” he posted on X on Aug. 4.
The Ethiopian-born Tedros said his agency, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), local governments and partners “are further scaling up the response to interrupt disease transmission.” But he stressed that “more funding and support for a comprehensive response are needed.”
According to the Epoch Times, “a public health emergency of international concern is the strongest designation for an outbreak,” with a similar declaration being made for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in early 2020.
The last health-related announcement made by the WHO about monkeypox was two years ago, during an outbreak that lasted from 2022 to 2023. During that outbreak that impacted Europe and the U.S., officials claimed monkeypox primarily spread through sexual contact between gay men. Alongside the WHO’s declaration, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden also declared an emergency over the virus.
Monkeypox detected in 10 African countries, but mostly in Congo
Tedros’ post was made as the Africa CDC revealed in a report that monkeypox has been detected in 10 African countries this year.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (ROC) recorded more than 96 percent of all monkeypox cases and deaths. Health officials at the ROC said almost 70 percent of cases and 85 percent of deaths in the country are affecting children under 15 years old.
The continent’s public health agency said there have been an estimated 14,250 cases of monkeypox so far in 2024 – almost as many as those from last year. It added that cases have risen by 160 percent and deaths by 19 percent compared to the first seven months of 2023.
Burundi and Rwanda both reported the entry of monkeypox for the first time in their countries, while the Central African Republic (CAR) and Kenya reported new outbreaks in their territories. “We are very concerned about the cases of monkeypox, which is ravaging [the capital region], CAR Health Minister Pierre Somse said on Aug. 5.
An Aug. 4 notice published by the non-profit International Society for Infectious Diseases, which cited the Ugandan Ministry of Health, said two monkeypox cases were confirmed in Uganda. “Both individuals presented with symptoms such as skin rash, swollen lymph nodes and general malaise,” the ministry added.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan Ministry of Health said it found monkeypox in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda, adding that the patient was stopped at a border crossing in southern Kenya. The ministry justified the use of medical tyranny in a statement, noting that a single case was enough to warrant declaring an outbreak.
Over in South Africa, health officials confirmed that the country now has 22 monkeypox cases and three fatalities. “Contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing in the affected communities,” the South African Department of Health (DoH) said in an Aug. 4 statement.
“The [DoH] urges all the identified contacts to cooperate with health officials during contact tracing for screening and possible diagnosis to prevent further transmission of this preventable and treatable disease.”
Head over to MonkeypoxPanic.com for more stories about the recent monkeypox outbreak in Africa.
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