The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide has surpassed 9,000. In just one day, the number is increasing rapidly, increasing by 1,000. Spain is the first European country to have more than 2,000 cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) is drawing attention on whether to declare a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)’ on the 17th.
According to ourworldindata, an international statistical site, the number of confirmed cases of monkey pox worldwide stood at 9069 (as of the 8th). It has been two months since the first confirmed case in the UK (excluding Africa) was reported in the UK on May 6th, and the number has surpassed 9,000. If this trend continues, the number is expected to exceed 10,000 soon.
During the summer vacation season, frequent face-to-face contact and events in which many people gather seem to have had an impact. In particular, Spain confirmed more than 800 new infections in one day, recording 2,034, beating the UK (1553) and having the highest number of confirmed cases in Europe. It was followed by Germany with 1490, France with 721, Portugal with 473, the Netherlands with 402, Italy with 255, and Belgium with 168. In North America, the number of confirmed cases is also on the rise, with 790 in the United States and 375 in Canada. The increase in South American countries, such as Brazil (173 people), is also notorious. This is not an official WHO figure.
In particular, in the United States, there are concerns that monkeypox could become established in the United States due to the complacency of the United States government in its initial response. Although the first confirmed case of monkey pox in the United States came out in May, it is pointed out that the testing capacity is still insufficient and the supply of vaccines is not smooth. The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 8th (local time) that it has been two months since monkeypox was first confirmed, but the bureaucratic response of the health authorities is reminiscent of the initial situation of Corona 19, when the response was immature. There are growing concerns that the number of monkey pox infections in the United States may actually be much higher than the officially confirmed number.
As monkey pox is rapidly increasing worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) is also drawing attention as to whether or not to declare a ‘International Public Health Emergency (PHEIC)’. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said, “We will convene an emergency committee meeting on the 17th to decide whether to designate the highest alert level in relation to the spread of the monkeypox virus.”
An international public health emergency is the highest level of alert issued by the WHO in relation to a worldwide epidemic. So far, swine flu in 2009, polio in 2014, Ebola in West Africa in 2014, Zika virus in 2016, Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, and novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in 2020 have been declared international public health emergencies.
Reporter Kim Yong-eok [email protected]
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