Monkeypox declared a public health emergency of international concern
On Saturday 23 July, monkeypox was declared a public health emergency of international concern. But it was not the emergency committee that decided this, but rather the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, himself.
On Thursday 21 July, the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations (IHR) met to decide whether monkeypox constituted a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). At this meeting, the committee of experts did not reach a consensus.
The committee had met a month earlier and had determined at that time that the emergence of the disease did not represent a public health emergency of international concern[1].
PHEIC news
As a reminder, under the IHR, the WHO can declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). A PHEIC triggers the application of measures relating both to travel and to treatments and vaccines, as well as other measures the WHO may deem necessary[2].
Declaring a public health emergency of international concern adds political weight and a sense of urgency to the situation, making it a priority for the budgets allocated by States. The Director-General considers that a vaccination campaign can control the spread of the disease[3]. According to Dr Hugh Adler of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, “the window of opportunity” for a concerted vaccination campaign is closing. Hence this declaration[4].
Monkeypox: a real danger?
At the June meeting, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about the severity of the advancing disease, but did not yet consider it an emergency. Seeing the number of cases rise, he reconvened the committee of experts and concluded that “we have an outbreak that is spreading rapidly around the world.”[5]
There are many unknowns surrounding this disease, which is not serious in itself[6] [7]. Monkeypox has caused between 0 and 5 reported deaths[8] and around 17,000 cases worldwide since its recent declaration[9]. The disease resolves on its own after a few weeks[10].
If the decision on an emergency is not unanimous, is there really an emergency? And if the Director-General cannot rely on the opinion of a committee of experts, is that committee failing? One may also wonder whether the WHO still has full legitimacy if its decisions are taken by one man alone and outside of all scientific reality.
By Katiouchka, journalist and North America correspondent at BAM!
[1] WHO Director-General’s statement at the press conference following IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox - 23 July 2022
[2] Knowledge is power: the WHO pandemic treaty and other “international instruments”
[3] Monkeypox declared a global emergency by World Health Organization - MarketWatch
[4] expert reaction to WHO declaring the global monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) | Science Media Centre
[5] WHO Calls Monkeypox A Global Health Emergency
[6] WHO Director-General’s statement at the press conference following IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox - 23 July 2022
[7] WHO Calls Monkeypox A Global Health Emergency
[9] 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak Global Map - Poxvirus
[10] The Guardian - What is monkeypox and how worried should we be?
Photo source:
Image cropped from the original image by Patrick Rolands on AdobeStock
Quotations from English-language sources are translated back here from the French.
