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World Health Organisation (WHO) declared monkeypox as a global threat. The WHO flagged it as a PHEIC or public health emergency of international concern, which is the highest level of warning issued by the WHO.
WHO's emergency declaration on monkeypox comes a day after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared it to be a public health emergency on the continent.
WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which already exceed last year's figures. Monkeypox has now been detected in at least 13 African countries.
So far, more than 96% of all cases and deaths are in a single country — Congo.
WHO said monkeypox was recently identified for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
All of those outbreaks were linked to the epidemic in Congo.
The monkeypox cases are up by 160% and deaths have increased by 19%.
What intensifies the situation is that unlike in previous monkeypox cases, this time the lesions (which are a common occurrence in monkeypox infection) are seen on the genitals.
This makes the infection difficult to identify and gives it time to spread to people without the person even knowing that they are infected and are spreading out this infection to others.
Otherwise, in monkeypox infections the lesions are mostly seen in the chest, hands and feet.