Pharmacist Uchita Parikh prepares a dose of Jynneos monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up vaccination clinic opened today by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health at the West Hollywood Library on August 3, 2022 in West Hollywood, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
The World Health ORganisation on Thursday announced an end to the global health emergency of the mpox virus outbreak.
“We at the moment are seeing regular progress in controlling the epidemic based on the lessons of HIV and dealing closely with the most affected communities,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva.
“I’m pleased to announce that mpox is no longer a global health emergency,” said Tedros.
He said the number of latest cases of mpox was down 90% in the last three months.
Previously called monkey pox, the WHO renamed it mpox last yr to minimize the stigma.
Mpox, a virus related to smallpox, was previously confined mainly to Africa.
In accordance with WHO data, the virus began rapidly around the world last yr, causing greater than 87,000 cases and 140 deaths in 111 countries. It is the largest known virus outbreak in history.
Bavarian Nordicwhich manufactures the mpox vaccine, recently warned that the global outbreak was a wake-up call for the need to extend vaccine production capability to arrange for the potential threat of smallpox.
“If it wasn’t smallpox, but smallpox, then we’re on the incorrect scale,” Bavrian Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin told CNBC last month.
The company’s Jynneos vaccine protects against mpox and smallpox.
Mpox is mainly spread through sexual contact, with gay and bisexual men at a higher risk of infection.
Although the virus is rarely fatal, infected people develop lesions in sensitive areas which can be very painful and should require hospitalization.
Mpox could be fatal for individuals with severely compromised immune systems, corresponding to those living with HIV.
Public health authorities coping with the outbreak faced a difficult balance between clearly communicating vital details about the spread of the virus, while not scary dissent to vulnerable communities.
“While stigma has been a major issue in managing this outbreak and continues to impede access to mpox care, the feared backlash against the most affected communities has largely not materialized,” Tedros said on Thursday. “We’re grateful for that.
The largest mpox outbreak was in the United States, with over 30,000 cases and 42 deaths. The Biden administration ended a public health emergency declared in response to mpox in January after a dramatic drop in cases following a national vaccination campaign and public health information.