Monkeypox is a global health emergency, WHO declares

The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a global health emergency – the highest alarm it can sound.

Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the declaration on Saturday.

“I have decided that the global #monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” Ghebreyesus said.

According to WHO, “Monkeypox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral zoonotic infection, meaning that it can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread from person to person.”