Who: Monkeypox remains a public health emergency

According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox remains a public health emergency.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the monkeypox outbreak remains at its highest level of alert and is an international public health emergency because of the increasing number of cases and the growing geographical spread of the outbreak.

Violence in eastern Congo and lack of funding are also hampering efforts to tackle monkeypox, the statement said.

Who declared monkeypox a global health emergency in July 2022, but lifted the emergency in May 2023 as vaccination and awareness campaigns contained the spread of the virus.

However, only a year later, a new outbreak of double monkeypox occurred, mainly in the Congo, with both the original 1a strain and a new 1b strain. This prompted the WHO to issue a new emergency declaration last August.

Since the beginning of last year, more than 21,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide, including 70 deaths.

Monkeypox can be transmitted to humans through infected animals, as well as from person to person through close physical contact. Monkeypox causes fever, muscle aches and skin lesions, and can be fatal.