WHO Declares Mpox a Global Public Health Emergency

The information provided is about the publication of the World Health Organization regarding the status of the mpox outbreak. The mpox outbreak has been classified as a global public health emergency, which means a higher level of warning in case of dangerous situations. Public health emergency status is after another such announcement by Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The continent has been reporting for some time that more than 15,000 cases of viral disease. Formerly known as monkeypox, as the WHO publication calls it. The author also adds a brief description of what the virus is: “known for causing fevers, rashes, and painful lesions”. It also provides information about how a disease is transmitted, that is, through close physical contact.

The information was found on a World Health Organization website – https://www.who.int/news/item/22-12-2020-world-health-organization-statement-on-mpox. For this specific publication. This source did not mention this information and is not responsible for what is written in the paragraph. From the author of the interview, published in the same source, Zubaida Baba Ibrahim, I learned that in African countries, “there is a serious shortage of the vaccine against mpox amid outbreaks that have occurred every year since the last major mpox outbreak two years ago”. Also, “according to recent studies carried out by researchers from the World Health Organization, the fatality rate of the viral disease among adults was approximately five percent. And twice as high among children”. The author of the interview was asked to elaborate: “The last thing you want to hear is a public health emergency status by the WHO. The time is now for African countries to take charge of the health outcomes of their citizens. We need to decolonize global health”. That is, the outbreak of the mpox virus in African countries has reached a level of severity that requires urgent action.