The Director-General of the World Health Organization “agrees with the expert opinion” of the International Emergency Committee that it does not decide to treat the event as a “public health emergency of international concern”, that is, to raise the level of preparedness. , reads himself in a Twitter message from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In a statement providing an account of the results of the meeting of that committee convened to decide whether the World Health Organization had raised the alert level, the organization stressed, however, that the meeting of members and advisors of the Emergency Committee alone “suggests an escalation.” Alert” and represents “a call to intensify public health measures in response to this event.”

Since the beginning of May 2022, 3,040 cases have been reported to the WHO in 47 countries, according to the latest data presented at this meeting.

Representatives from Portugal, totaling 348 cases as of Friday, mostly reported in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, as well as Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, updated the WHO Emergency Committee on the epidemiological situation in their countries and current response efforts.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his letter that he was “extremely concerned” about the outbreak of “monkeypox”, which “poses a serious and evolving threat” and thus convened this emergency committee meeting.

The transmission of “monkeypox”, also known as monkeypox, occurs in many countries that have not reported endemic cases of the virus, and the largest number of cases have now been verified in Europe.

Most confirmed cases are cases of male-to-male sexual contact and occur in urban areas, although, in principle, it is not a sexually transmitted disease, but is transmitted through close physical contact.

The clinical situation is often atypical, with few localized lesions not spreading, there have been few hospitalizations to date, and one death in an individual with reported immune problems.