According to the latest data released by WHO, more than 1,600 confirmed cases and nearly 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported to WHO from 39 countries, and the vast majority of confirmed cases are from Europe. The 39 countries include 7 countries where monkeypox outbreaks have existed for many years and 32 countries with new outbreaks.
The World Health Organization said on June 14 that it will hold a meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee on the 23rd of this month to assess whether the current outbreak of monkeypox in many countries around the world constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern".
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on the 14th that the global outbreak of monkeypox is unusual and worrying. According to the "International Health Regulations", the WHO Emergency Committee decided to hold a meeting on the 23rd to assess whether the current monkeypox epidemic constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern".
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans through close contact. In the past few weeks, several European and American countries have reported multiple clusters of monkeypox virus. The WHO said that monkeypox outbreaks often occur in West and Central Africa, and it is not normal for confirmed and suspected monkeypox cases reported in many countries without any travel history to monkeypox-endemic areas. Currently, the global public health risk level for monkeypox is assessed by WHO as moderate.
There is stigma, WHO plans to change the name of monkeypox
The World Health Organization said on June 14 that it will officially rename the monkeypox virus and the disease it causes to prevent stigma and discrimination by existing names.
More than 30 scientists around the world said in an open letter last week that the continued use of the name monkeypox is inaccurate, stigmatizing and discriminatory given the current global outbreak, and that there is an "urgent need" to rename the virus.
They say the name monkeypox does not comply with current WHO guidelines for naming newly discovered infectious diseases. In 2015, the WHO and other agencies proposed that when naming newly discovered infectious diseases, it advocated the use of neutral, general terms instead of names of people, places, animals, foods and occupations.
According to the BBC, the WHO is currently consulting orthopoxvirus experts to find a more appropriate name for monkeypox. Although the virus is called monkeypox, its main host is actually rodents. Monkeypox and smallpox belong to the genus Orthopoxvirus.
