"World Health Organization" on the Verge of Reevaluating the Risk of Monkeypox

The World Health Organization is set to meet again to reconsider whether monkeypox constitutes a major public health emergency, following reports of thousands of cases in 58 countries. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that the emergency committee will convene later this month to discuss the rare virus, despite concluding in June that monkeypox is not "a public health emergency of international concern." He expressed, "Regarding monkeypox, I am still concerned about the virus's magnitude and spread," adding that WHO staff "are monitoring the data" and that the committee will meet by the week of July 18 to provide updates on the outbreak's developments. Although Tedros noted that "testing remains a challenge" and said it is "highly likely" that a significant number of cases have gone undetected, he mentioned that 6,000 cases have been reported globally. Infections have now been identified in 58 countries, doubling since May.