According to news from Science magazine over the weekend, after two days of deliberation, an advisory group convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that the monkeypox epidemic, which has spread to more than 50 countries, is not enough to declare the highest aler

According to news from Science magazine over the weekend, after two days of deliberations,an advisory group convened by the World Health Organization(WHO) concluded that the monkeypox epidemic, which has spread to more than 50 countries, is not sufficient to declare It is an international public health emergency with the highest alert level (PHEIC). Currently, WHO has PHEIC statements for polio and new coronavirus. Originally, many infectious disease scientists expected to have a PHEIC statement for monkeypox . So what exactly is going on?

WHO refuses to list the monkeypox epidemic as a PHEIC, screenshots are on the official website of "Science"

What is a PHEIC?

According to the definition of Baidu Encyclopedia, Public Health Emergency of International Concern (Public Health Emergency of International Concern, referred to as PHEIC) refers to: the international spread of the disease poses a public health risk to other countries and may require coordinated international action. Response to unusual events.

WHO According to the development of the epidemic, PHEIC can be revoked and modified at any time after it is announced. It will be valid for 3 months after it is issued, and will automatically expire after that. Since the International Health Conditions (2005) officially came into effect on June 15, 2007, the World Health Organization has declared six international public health emergencies due to large-scale epidemic viruses, namely:

• 2009, Influenza A H1N1
• 2014, polio
• 2014, Ebola in West Africa
• 2015, "Zika"
• 2018, Ebola in Congo (Golden)
• 2019, new crown

Schematic diagram of the binding between the new coronavirus spike protein and human ACE2 protein, The picture comes from the Internet

It can be seen that not all epidemics that are considered serious by the public can be classified as PHEIC. In the past 15 years, they have only been announced 6 times in total. This shows that the WHO is very cautious about this.

Monkeypox epidemic

Regarding the monkeypox epidemic, Guona Technology Sauce once wrote an article on May 30 - "

Since the announcement of the monkeypox epidemic, it has attracted public attention

It is reported that the monkeypox virus can pass through infected people or animals It is spread through lesions and body fluids, and the virus may have evolved into a virus that is better at sexual transmission. Monkeypox has previously been endemic in many African countries, but has never before spread so widely on other continents, with more than 4,100 cases recorded to date.

The monkeypox epidemic is not included in the PHEIC

According to the report released by the WHO advisory group, there are differences within it on whether to include monkeypox in the PHEIC. Some members expressed different views, but the committee decided by consensus to notify the World Health Organization The Director-General of the Organization should determine at this stage that the monkeypox outbreak does not constitute a PHEIC.

Schematic diagram of monkeypox virus, the picture comes from the Internet

In this regard, some virologists expressed their opinions. Virologist Boghuma Titanji of Emory University was very surprised by this decision. He believes that this may once again allow us to miss the opportunity to focus much-needed attention on the current situation. Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health, also disagrees with the committee's judgment. He thinks this decision is a big mistake.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, picture from the Internet

Despite some opposition, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accepted the final decision of the advisory panel experts, but said he was "deeply concerned" about the monkeypox epidemic. He believes that the monkeypox epidemic is clearly an evolving health threat that requires our collective attention and coordinated actions to use public health measures, including surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and care of patients, to stop the further spread of monkeypox virus and ensure Make health tools such as vaccines and treatments available to at-risk groups and share them equitably.

Conclusion

Guona Technology Jiang believes that the WHO decision is relatively objective. Although the monkeypox epidemic has spread beyond West Africa and begun to spread in some countries, according to public information, the vast majority of cases occur in men who have sex with men. body, and hospitalization is very rare.At the same time, the advisory group has stated that if there is new evidence that the epidemic is spreading to other countries or new groups, or the severity of the disease is increasing, they will reconsider whether to classify it as a PHEIC. Therefore, I personally think that the public does not need to worry too much. What do you think of this? Welcome to leave a message.

Monkeypox virus schematic, the picture comes from "Nature" magazine

I am @国纳 Technology Sauce , a senior operator with a technical background, a signed creator of the Baijia Craftsmanship Plan, a creator on the Baijia List, Baidu Ask Specially invited gold medal answerer, who has been rooted in the field of air purification/new materials/energy conservation and environmental protection for 20 years, will bring you different scientific understanding from a calm and professional perspective.

Important statement: The articles published here are the original works of the author Guona Technology Sauce. The copyright belongs to Guona Technology Sauce. The pictures are from the Internet. Please indicate the original author and source when reprinting!

Recommended reading:

The chaos caused by climate change has already appeared: either too hot, too cold, floods, or droughts

The United Nations climate report is shocking: If we don’t do something, the impact may be irreversible

China’s “Sky Eye” captured Strange signals may come from alien technology. Could it be that the discovery of aliens

cost 15.1 billion! The construction of the largest telescope in human history has begun. Will it replace the China Sky Eye?

Latest research: Not only long-term exercise, but short-term exercise can also improve immune system antibody levels