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Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage,' WHO panel says - fox29.com
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Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage,' WHO panel says
LONDON - The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency.In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were "unusual" and acknowledged that monkeypox — which is endemic in some African countries — has been neglected for years."While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute" a global health emergency, WHO said in a statement.WHO nevertheless pointed to the "emergency nature" of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an "intense" response.RELATED: WHO will rename monkeypox virus to counter concerns over stigma, discriminationThe committee said the outbreak should be "closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks." But it would recommend a re-assessment before then if certain new developments emerge — such as cases among sex workers; spread to other countries or within countries that have already had cases; increased severity of cases; or an increasing rate of spread.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus convened the emergency committee on Thursday after expressing concern about the epidemic of monkeypox in countries that haven't previously reported the disease."What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children," the WHO chief said.Monkeypox has sickened people for decades

In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease in a particular time and place. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire continent. Four linked cases of a rare infectious disease may be sufficient to constitute an outbreak. Outbreaks include epidemics, which term is normally only used for infectious diseases, as well as diseases with an environmental origin, such as a water or foodborne disease. They may affect a region in a country or a group of countries. Pandemics are near-global disease outbreaks when multiple countries across the world are infected.

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