WHO declares mpox virus a public health emergency of international concern


The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the rise in mpox cases constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), following advice from members at Wednesday’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee meeting. A PHEIC is the highest level of alarm under international health law.

The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for the meeting last Wednesday to seek advice on whether the mpox – previously monkeypox – outbreaks are cause for international concern.

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Source: United Nations


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