The monkeypox outbreak that emerged in the south of Gran Canaria in the heat of the parties for LGTBQI tourists is spreading rapidly represents a global health emergency, the highest alert level of the World Health Organization, the World Health Organization said on Saturday. Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. It is already affecting children. That news that seemed like an anecdote of relaxation in Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas so far this year, has generated more than 16.000 cases in more than 75 countries. The viral disease has spread mainly in men who have sex with men in the recent outbreak, outside Africa where it is endemic.
The WHO label, a “public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC),” is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funds to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments. Members of an expert committee that met to discuss the possible recommendation were divided over the decision, with nine members against and six in favor of the statement, prompting Tedros himself to break the deadlock, he told reporters. . "Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, at the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners," Tedros said at a news conference in Geneva.
Health experts welcomed the WHO's decision to issue the PHEIC statement, which until now had only applied to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.
Cases of the viral disease have skyrocketed since the committee first met in late June, when there were only about 3.000 cases. At that time, the expert group agreed to reconsider its position on declaring an emergency if the outbreak intensified. One of the key issues prompting a reassessment was whether cases would spread to other groups, particularly children or other people who have been vulnerable to the virus in previous outbreaks in endemic countries. On Friday, the United States identified its first two cases of monkeypox in children. WHO officials said Saturday they were exploring the possibility of the virus spreading through new modes of transmission.