ASHENEWS reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that Mpox is no longer a global health emergency of international concern.
The global health body had declared Mpox as public health emergency of international concern on July 23, 2022.
However, 10 months after, the Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a tweet at its official Twitter handle @WHO on Thursday said he received a recommendation from its emergency committee that the virus is no longer a global concern.
“Yesterday, the emergency committee for #mpox met and recommended to me that the multi-country outbreak of mpox no longer represents a public health emergency of international concern.
“I have accepted that advice, and am pleased to declare that #mpox is no longer a global health emergency.
“However, as with #COVID19, that does not mean that the work is over. #Mpox continues to pose significant public health challenges that need a robust, proactive and sustainable response.
“While we welcome the downward trend of #mpox cases globally, the virus continues to affect communities in all regions, including in Africa, where transmission is still not well understood.
“Travel-related cases in all regions highlight the continued threat. There is a particular risk for people living with untreated HIV infection.
“It remains important for countries to maintain their testing capacities and to continue their efforts, assess their risk, quantify their needs to respond, and act promptly when needed.
“Integration of #mpox prevention and care into existing health programmes is recommended, to allow continued access to care, and rapid response to address future outbreaks.
“WHO will continue to work towards supporting access to countermeasures as more information on effectiveness of interventions becomes available.
“While the emergencies of #mpox and #COVID19 are both over, the threat of resurgent waves remains for both. Both viruses continue to circulate and both continue to kill. And while two public health emergencies have ended in the past week, every day WHO continues to respond to 50+ emergencies.
“Every day, we continue to support countries to address major health threats like tuberculosis; And every day we continue to support countries to make progress towards universal health coverage.
“As we approach #WHA76 and the three high-level meetings later this year, we face great challenges, but we also have unprecedented opportunities to make real commitments and real change that make a real difference for generations to come,” the tweet reads.
