Despite a growing number of cases in non-endemic countries, the current outbreak of monkeypox does not warrant a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the World Health Organization (WHO) said over the weekend.
"The Committee unanimously acknowledged the emergency nature of the event and that controlling the further spread of outbreak requires intense response efforts," the WHO said in a report on emergency meetings convened by the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee to discuss the current outbreaks.
"The Committee advised that the event should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks, once more information about the current unknowns becomes available, to determine if significant changes have occurred that may warrant a reconsideration of their advice."
The IHR committee said evidence of increased rates of cases in the next 21 days, occurrences among sex workers, new spread to more countries, or evidence of increased severity could push the monkeypox outbreak into the realm of a PHEIC. Evidence of human-animal spillover, or new infections in pregnant women or children could also lead to a PHEIC.
Since early May, more than 4,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 50 non-endemic countries, mainly in Europe and North America. The outbreak has been mostly seen in men who have sex with men (MSM), and close contact sexual relations are implicated as the main route of transmission.
"This is clearly an evolving health threat that my colleagues and I in the WHO Secretariat are following extremely closely," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebeyesus, PhD. "It requires our collective attention and coordinated action now to stop the further spread of monkeypox virus."
Global.Health reports 4,265 confirmed cases worldwide.
Minnesota, Kentucky report first cases
Both Minnesota and Kentucky reported their first monkeypox cases. In Kentucky, a Jefferson County resident has contracted the virus. In Minnesota, state health officials say a patient has been identified in the Twin Cities, and likely contracted the disease while traveling abroad.
As of today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added 71 more monkeypox cases to the US total, which is now 244 cases in 26 states and Washington D.C. The total includes the new cases in Minnesota and Kentucky.
In other US news, San Francisco has found traces of monkeypox in wastewater samples. This is the second detection of viral DNA in wastewater in that city, which has 10 confirmed monkeypox cases.
Also yesterday NYC Health announced a hiatus in monkeypox vaccination while it waits for more doses, after walk-in sexual health clinics were overwhelmed with demand for vaccines to prevent infection. And the California Department of Public Health has received vaccine doses from the national stockpile, USA Today reports.
