[앵커]
Within a month since the monkey pox epidemic, the number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 3,000.
It has spread to over 40 countries.
As the spread of the virus was not severe, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to hold an emergency meeting and consider declaring an international public health emergency.
This is reporter Jeong Da-mi.
[기자]
Monkeypox, a disease endemic to Africa.
After the first case of infection was reported in the UK on the 7th of last month, it spread mainly in Europe and then spread around the world in a month and a half.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of the 22nd local time, 3,308 people in 42 countries have been confirmed with monkey pox.
By country, the UK had the highest number of confirmed cases with about 800, followed by Germany and Spain with 500 each.
It is spreading in North America, including 200 in Canada and 100 in the United States, and has also penetrated Southeast Asia such as Singapore.
As the spread of monkey pox continued, the World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting to discuss whether to declare a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)’.
An ‘international public health emergency’ is the highest alert level issued by the WHO. It is declared when a specific disease is unusually spread and threatens international public health and requires cooperation between countries.
Currently only applicable to COVID-19 and polio.
“The global spread of monkeypox is clearly unusual and worrisome. I am convening an emergency committee under international health regulations next week (23rd) to assess whether this outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern. I decided to do it.”
The UK Health and Safety Agency recently recommended vaccination for some gay and bisexual men who are at high risk of getting monkeypox, but the WHO says it is too early for a large-scale vaccination.
The WHO will also announce a new name for monkeypox in the near future.
This is Yonhap News TV, Dami Jeong. (smjung@yna.co.kr)
#monkeypox #WHO #emergency #PHEIC
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