“A month ago, I convened the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to assess whether the multi-country #monkeypox outbreak represented a public health emergency of international concern”-@DrTedros
"At that meeting, while differing views were expressed, the committee resolved by consensus that the [#monkeypox] outbreak did not represent a public health emergency of international concern."-@DrTedros
"At the time, 3040 cases of #monkeypox had been reported to WHO, from 47 countries.
Since then, the outbreak has continued to grow, and there are now more than 16 thousand reported cases from 75 countries and territories, and five deaths."-@DrTedros
"In light of the evolving [#monkeypox] outbreak, I reconvened the committee on Thursday of this week to review the latest data and advise me accordingly.
I thank the committee for its careful consideration of the evidence, and issues."-@DrTedros
"On this occasion, the committee was unable to reach a consensus on whether the [#monkeypox] outbreak represents a public health emergency of intl concern.
The reasons the committee members gave for & against are laid out in the report we are publishing today."-@DrTedros
"Under the International Health Regulations, I am required to consider five elements in deciding whether an outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern."-@DrTedros
"First, the information provided by countries – which in this case shows that this [#monkeypox] virus has spread rapidly to many countries that have not seen it before."-@DrTedros
"Second, the three criteria for declaring a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations, which have been met."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"Fourth, scientific principles, evidence and other relevant information – which are currently insufficient and leave us with many unknowns."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"WHO’s assessment is that the risk of #monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where we assess the risk as high."-@DrTedros
"There is also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for the moment."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"So in short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
🚨 BREAKING:
"For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global #monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern."-@DrTedros
"Accordingly, I have made a set of recommendations for four groups of countries:
First, those that have not yet reported a case of #monkeypox, or have not reported a case for more than 21 days."-@DrTedros
"Second, those with recently imported cases of #monkeypox and that are experiencing human-to-human transmission. This includes recommendations to implement a coordinated response to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups."-@DrTedros
"To engage & protect affected communities;
To intensify surveillance & public health measures;
To strengthen clinical management & infection prevention & control in hospitals & clinics"-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"The third group of countries is those with transmission of #monkeypox from animals to humans."-@DrTedros
"And the fourth is countries with manufacturing capacity for vaccines and therapeutics.
My full recommendations are laid out in my statement."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"I thank the Emergency Committee for its deliberations and advice. I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process, and that there are divergent views among the members."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"The International Health Regulations remains a vital tool for responding to the international spread of disease.
But this process demonstrates once again that this vital tool needs to be sharpened to make it more effective."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"I’m pleased that alongside the process of negotiating a new intl accord on pandemic preparedness & response, WHO’s Member States are also considering targeted amendments to the [IHR], incl. ways to improve the process for declaring a [PHEIC]."-@DrTedros
"Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"It’s therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design & deliver effective information & services, and to adopt measures that protect both the health, human rights & dignity of affected communities."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"In addition to our recommendations to countries, I am also calling on civil society organizations, including those with experience in working with people living with HIV, to work with us on fighting stigma and discrimination."-@DrTedros#monkeypox
"But with the tools we have right now, we can stop transmission and bring this [#monkeypox] outbreak under control."-@DrTedros
WHO Director-General @DrTedros' full statement on the press conference following the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of #monkeypoxbit.ly/3BgxsLU
Statement of the 2nd meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the multi-country outbreak of #monkeypoxbit.ly/3oqUW9C
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LIVE: Media briefing with @DrTedros on outcome of the #mpox Emergency Committee meeting x.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"#Mpox has been reported in #DRC for more than a decade, and the number of cases reported each year has increased steadily over that period.
Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths.
As many of you who tune into our regular press conferences know, WHO has been working on the mpox outbreak in Africa and raising the alarm that this is something that should concern us all"-@DrTedros
@DrTedros "Last week I announced that I was convening an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to evaluate the upsurge of #mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries in Africa"-@DrTedros
Media briefing on pandemic, preparedness and response and other developments at the #WHA77 with @DrTedros x.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"Today, the nations of the world made history at the World Health Assembly.
After two years of negotiations, they adopted a strong package of amendments to the International Health Regulations, based on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IHR was last updated 19 years ago. The amendments adopted today strengthen global preparedness, surveillance and response to public health emergencies, including pandemics"-@DrTedros #WHA77
"And although the #PandemicAccord has not yet been finalized, the Health Assembly has charted the way forward.
It has agreed to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, to finalize negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement as soon as possible, and by next year’s World Health Assembly at the latest"-@DrTedros #WHA77
In an historic development, the #WHA77 today agreed a package of critical amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), and made concrete commitments to completing negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year.
⬇️ bit.ly/4bElM55
These critical actions have been taken in order to ensure comprehensive, robust systems are in place in all countries to protect the health and safety of all people everywhere from the risk of future outbreaks and pandemics.
⬇️ bit.ly/4bElM55
These decisions represent two important steps by countries, taken in tandem with one another on the final day of #WHA77, to build on lessons learned from several global health emergencies, including the #COVID19 pandemic.
⬇️ bit.ly/4bElM55
LIVE: @DrTedros' briefing on the health situation in #Gaza to the @UN Security Council twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"Let me be clear from the outset that I fully understand the anger, grief and fear of the Israeli people following the horrific, barbaric and unjustifiable attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on Israeli civilians on the 7th of October.
The killing of 1,400 people, and injuries to more than 7,200 others, is bad enough. For the survivors and families of victims, the mental health consequences will endure for a long time to come.
WHO is gravely concerned for the health and well-being of Israeli hostages in Gaza, many of whom are older people, children and those with urgent medical needs"-@DrTedros
@DrTedros @UN "Two weeks ago, I spoke with families of hostages, and I will meet them in Geneva next week. I feel their heartache and fear"-@DrTedros
Media briefing on the health situation in Gaza and Israel, and other global health issues with @DrTedros twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"We are running out of words to describe the horror unfolding in Gaza.
Since Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel on the 7th of October, more than 10,000 people have been killed, including over 8,500 in Gaza and 1400 in Israel. In both Israel and Gaza, 70% of those killed are women and children"-@DrTedros
"More than 21,000 are injured and more than 1.4 million people in Gaza have been displaced.
The situation on the ground, in Gaza, is indescribable.
Hospitals crammed with the injured, lying in corridors;
Morgues overflowing;
Doctors performing surgery without anaesthesia;
Thousands of people seeking shelter from the bombardment;
Families crammed into overcrowded schools, desperate for food and water;
Toilets overflowing and the risk of disease outbreaks spreading;
And everywhere, fear, death, destruction, loss"-@DrTedros
#TraditionalMedicine has been at the frontiers of medicine & science laying the foundation for conventional medical texts.
#DYK: Nearly 40% of pharmaceutical products have a natural product base, incl.:
💊aspirin
💊artemisinin
💊contraceptive pills
💊childhood cancer treatments
In 1969, Tu Youyou was tasked to search for antimalarial drugs. She turned to ancient Chinese #TraditionalMedicine books & discovered artemisinin. In 2015, Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on #malaria, which has saved millions of lives.
https://t.co/hqqn1D2idWbit.ly/47s1wlj
Derived from wild Mexican yam, norethindrone is one of the first active ingredients in birth control pills.
When Dr Luis Miramontes stabilised the synthetic hormone, norethindrone, he was unaware of his major contribution to women’s health and history.
📌 https://t.co/MbSbU8fHnfbit.ly/47s1wlj