The World Health Organization has declared a viral outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time in two years. with Four confirmed cases in India and around 14,500 cases globallyThe monkeypox outbreak has caused an international outcry in a world that is yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. After a divided decision at the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee meeting – whether monkeypox deserves to be called a PHEIC – it fell Director General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, to take the call. A PHEIC is just one step lower than a ‘pandemic’ classification. After COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the WHO came under criticism for not reacting promptly to the public health threat portrayed by the coronavirus pandemic. It termed the COVID-19 crisis as PHEIC on January 30, 2020, when global cases were around 7,500, or about half the level now reported for monkeypox. The next February was the crucial month that forced the WHO to raise the threat level and push the world into an area it hadn’t navigated since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Although monkeypox is caused by a virus that is endemic in some African countries, the world only noticed it when it was first reported in the UK on May 6, 2022. Within a month and a half, it spread to 63 countries. , along with Spain, Belgium and the US – historically non-endemic to the virus – begins to report a spike in cases. In Africa too, transmission has historically been limited and there is uncertainty over the events that have led to such a global spike.
Monkeypox, for now, has more visible manifestations like rashes and blisters and is said to be over-represented in men who have sex with men. It is believed to spread only through close contact and is fatal only to highly immunocompromised people. WHO recommends that countries increase surveillance, increase public awareness campaigns, governments work to not stigmatize the disease, and build health infrastructure to manufacture diagnostic kits. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that governments implement measures to avoid ‘terror’, but are often opaque and vague with the information needed to prevent it. While it is not clear how the monkeypox outbreak will unfold in the coming months, the government should initiate coordinated action with states to accurately summarize and disseminate the extent of the threat. Until now, monkeypox used to fall under the category of neglected tropical diseases. Related to the eradication of the smallpox virus, monkeypox is suspected to be exacerbated by reduced immunity against the smallpox virus. Indian laboratories and biotech companies should research and step up their arsenals to prepare adequate defenses when needed.