The WHO (World Health Organization) decided this Saturday that monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency. The decision was made after an expert assessment, taking into account the spread of the disease and the potential risk of contamination. Still, scientists urged governments to step up their monitoring actions and WHO to meet again in the coming weeks.
Intense debate among scientists resulted in a decision that took days to complete. To date, five emergencies have been declared by the agency in just over a decade, signaling the need for governments worldwide to take measures to monitor the outbreak and control cases.
The disease began to be monitored by WHO, with more than 3,200 cases in approximately 50 countries. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health reported that 17 cases were detected.
Declaring a global emergency will aim to increase coordination between countries and strengthen active case finding mechanisms and implement measures to help contain the global circulation of the virus.
The WHO emergency committee meeting was held amid growing concern about the increase in non-endemic areas outside of Africa, particularly in Europe, but also in the Americas, with a few cases also reported in Asia and Oceania.
An international health alert was launched by the UK in mid-May and since then cases have increased in that country (793) and Spain (over 800), Germany (592), Portugal (317), France (277). ). ), Canada (245), the Netherlands (167) and the United States (156), according to figures available as of Thursday when the WHO meeting was held.
source: Noticias
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