Geneva – The World Health Organization no longer considers the MPOX epidemic in Africa as an international emergency in terms of health, the director of the United Nations Agency said on Friday.
The new form of MPOX emerged at the beginning of 2024 in Congo and neighboring African countries, spreading in close contact, including sex. Who said it was a global health emergency in August of last year.
The director general of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists on Friday that an emergency panel created after the epidemic indicated that the situation was no longer an international emergency and “I accepted this council”.
The WHO International Emergency Declaration, the highest level of warning of the agency concerning the threat of health problems, triggers the release of resources and the public awareness campaigns improved among other measures.
“Of course, the lifting of the emergency declaration does not mean that the threat is over, or that our response will stop,” said WHO chief.
Mpox is a rare disease caused by an infection by a virus that is in the same family as that which causes smallpox.
It is endemic in certain parts of Africa, where people have been infected with rodent or small animals. Lighter symptoms may include fever, chills and body pain. In more serious cases, people can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
