WHO raises maximum alert level

The health agency estimated that smallpox, formerly called monkeypox, “no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” nearly a year after the outbreak began.

The World Health Organization on Thursday raised the maximum alert level for an epidemic of smallpox, formerly known as monkeypox, saying it was sufficiently under control nearly a year after the outbreak began.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference following the WHO Emergency Committee’s recommendation that the pandemic “no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.”

The announcement comes exactly a week after the World Health Organization’s highest alert level for Covid was raised.

This does not mean that the task is completed.

If it is considered that the epidemic is no longer an “international health emergency”, it calls for caution.

“As with Covid-19, this does not mean that the work is over. Mpox continues to pose significant public health challenges that require a robust, proactive and sustainable response,” emphasized the WHO chief.

Outbreaks of smallpox, as of May 2022, have been observed in Europe and the United States, with the exception of the ten countries in Central and West Africa where the disease has long been endemic. The Director-General of the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 23 July 2022.

Since then, the pollution curve has seen a sharp decline. Thus, there were “nearly 90% fewer cases in the last three months than in the previous three months,” Dr. Tedros noted.

The disease is characterized by a rash that may appear on the genitals or in the mouth, and may be associated with bouts of fever, sore throat, or pain in the lymph nodes. It is an endemic disease in some West African countries.

To date, some 87,400 cases have been recorded in 111 countries and the disease has claimed 140 lives, according to the latest count, cited by the director-general.