Meanwhile, it is validating, procuring and shipping tests to multiple countries and continues to provide support for expanded access to effective diagnostics. The inability to characterize the epidemiological situation in those regions represents a “substantial challenge” to designing interventions which can control the historically neglected disease.
This year, more than 14,000 cases have been reported across 71 Member States, from all six WHO regions.
He warned of “a very real concern” that men who have sex with men could be “stigmatized or blamed…making the outbreak much harder to track, and to stop”.
‘Life-threatening discrimination’
One of the most powerful tools against monkeypox is information, the WHO chief affirmed.
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“This transmission pattern represents both an opportunity to implement targeted public health interventions, and a challenge because in some countries, the communities affected face life-threatening discrimination,” he said.
The committee first met last month but decided against declaring it a public health emergency of international concern.
“As the outbreak develops, it’s important to assess the effectiveness of public health interventions in different settings, to better understand what works, and what doesn’t”.
The committee will discuss the latest evidence and conditions through Thursday, and announce its decision in the coming days.
Treating monkeypox
In the 3⃣rd episode, Harun explains how sharing stories about #monkeypox can empower other patients in their journey.
The committee has already helped “delineate the dynamics of this outbreak,” he said in his opening remarks to committee members and advisors.
Tedros revealed that six countries reported their first cases last week and that the vast majority continue to be among men who have sex with men.
While the trend in some countries has declined, others are increasing. Some, with less access to diagnostics and vaccines, make the outbreak harder to track and stem.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged his “acute” awareness that any decision regarding the possible determination involves “the consideration of many factors, with the ultimate goal of protecting public health”.
“What matters is what you need to expect from this journey”
