In view of the classification of the monkeypox outbreak as an international emergency, an expert calls for better arming once morest future epidemics. “Our world is becoming increasingly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks,” said Josie Golding, chief epidemiologist at the Wellcome Trust. The classification should remind government leaders of the current weaknesses of the global community to meet such challenges.
“As monkeypox cases continue to rise and spread to more countries, we now face a dual challenge: an endemic disease in Africa that has been neglected for decades and a new outbreak affecting marginalized groups,” she wrote. International cooperation must be strengthened.
Research must clarify why one sees new transmission patterns in monkeypox and what one can do regarding it. “We cannot afford to wait for diseases to escalate before intervening.”
As of yesterday, more than 16,000 confirmed cases in 75 countries and territories and five deaths have been registered so far.
