The World Health Organization says that monkeypox is not yet a public health emergency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health”. An ongoing outbreak of the viral disease monkeypox was confirmed in May 2022, beginning with a cluster of cases found in the United Kingdom. The first confirmed case was confirmed on 6 May 2022 in an individual with travel links to Nigeria (where the disease is endemic), but it has been suggested that cases were already spreading in Europe in the previous months. Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from 5 to 21 days. The duration of symptoms is typically 2 to 4 weeks. There may be mild symptoms, but to what extent it may occur without any symptoms is not known. On 25th June, the World Health Organization announced that the global monkeypox outbreak does not constitute a public health emergency of international concern for the time being. WHO declined to declare the unprecedented monkeypox outbreak that has spread around the world a public health emergency as of now. Though it is not an international public health emergency, but it should continue to be monitored.