WHO Upgrades Monkeypox To Highest Level Of Emergency Alert
The World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a global emergency, with more than 16,000 cases reported across 75 nations. The White House praised the “call to action” for a coordinated international response, but some lawmakers want the U.S. to do more.
The Washington Post:
WHO Declares Monkeypox A Global Health Emergency As Infections Soar
The move to label the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest level of alert the WHO can issue, is expected to marshal new funding to fight the outbreak and to pressure governments into action. More than 16,500 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries. “In short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which we understand too little,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Saturday. (Nirappil, 7/23)
The New York Times:
W.H.O. Declares Monkeypox Spread A Global Health Emergency
The W.H.O.’s declaration signals a public health risk requiring a coordinated international response. The designation can lead member countries to invest significant resources in controlling an outbreak, draw more funding to the response, and encourage nations to share vaccines, treatments and other key resources for containing the outbreak. It is the seventh public health emergency since 2007; the Covid pandemic, of course, was the most recent. Some global health experts have criticized the W.H.O.’s criteria for declaring such emergencies as opaque and inconsistent. (Mandavilli, 7/23)
The Washington Post:
First Cases Of Monkeypox In Children In U.S. Confirmed
CDC and public health authorities are still investigating how the children became infected. The two cases are unrelated and in different jurisdictions, the agency said in a statement. The toddler is in California; the infant’s case was confirmed while the family was traveling in Washington, D.C., but they are not residents of this country. (Sun and Nirappil, 7/22)
The White House responded to the announcement —
The Hill:
White House Says WHO Declaration On Monkeypox Is ‘A Call To Action’ To Stop Its Spread
“Today’s decision by the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the current monkeypox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern is a call to action for the world community to stop the spread of this virus. A coordinated, international response is essential to stop the spread of monkeypox, protect communities at greatest risk of contracting the disease, and combat the current outbreak,” Raj Panjabi said in a statement on Saturday. (Vakil, 7/23)
Fox News:
White House COVID Adviser Addresses Current Monkeypox Threat Level
White House COVID-19 Adviser Dr. Ashish Jha has assured Americans that monkeypox poses a “pretty small” threat to the general population even as the World Health Organization (WHO) declares an emergency. “No Americans have died of monkeypox in this outbreak,” Jha said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” “I don’t know globally – I think it’s a very small number – but zero Americans have died of monkeypox, so the risk to the broader population is pretty small.” (Aitken, 7/24)
But lawmakers want more —
The Hill:
Lawmakers Step Up Pressure On Administration Over Monkeypox
Top-ranking members in the House and Senate, on both sides of the aisle, have asked Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra for answers on what his department is doing to handle the monkeypox outbreak, with several lawmakers questioning what they perceive to be a failed response. (Choi, 7/24)
The Hill:
Schiff: ‘I Want To Light A Fire Under The Administration’ On Monkeypox
“I don’t know why there aren’t more vaccines available. I’m hearing from health care providers in my district that there are people lining up to get vaccinated and they don’t have the vaccines for them, and that is a real problem,” Schiff told Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face The Nation.” (Oshin, 7/24)
Also —
Dallas Morning News:
Dallas County Is Out Of Monkeypox Vaccinations As Cases Continue To Climb
Dallas County is out of monkeypox vaccines as cases continue to rise amid a national vaccine shortage. (Wolf, 7/21)
CIDRAP:
Largest Monkeypox Study To Date Highlights New Symptoms
“This truly global case series has enabled doctors from 16 countries to share their extensive clinical experience and many clinical photographs to help other doctors in places with fewer cases. We have shown that the current international case definitions need to be expanded to add symptoms that are not currently included, such as sores in the mouth, on the anal mucosa and single ulcers,” said Chloe Orkin, PhD, of the Queen Mary University of London, in a university press release. (7/22)
