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Experts on Thursday (July 21) discussed whether or not the World Health Organization (WHO) should classify the monkeypox outbreaks as a global health emergency, which is the highest alarm it can sound for any disease. 

Monkeypox cases are rising rapidly with nearly 15,400 confirmed cases in at least 71 countries, including India. Amid the worsening situation, a second meeting of the WHO's emergency committee on the monkeypox virus was held. 

Considering various factors, the WHO decides if a particular disease constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). 

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PHEIC is the UN health agency's highest alert level. 

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Importantly, during the emergency meeting, a majority of experts advised the WHO's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the current situation had not met the threshold. 

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Tedros told the start of the meeting: "I need your advice in assessing the immediate and mid-term public health implications." 

Symptoms of monkeypox

Monkeypox is a viral infection that is more common in West and Central Africa. It is an uncommon disease as most cases occur in west and central Africa. Occasionally it spreads elsewhere. 

For the unversed, Monkeypox is related to smallpox, which killed millions around the world every year before it was eradicated in 1980. 

But monkeypox is much less severe, with a fatality ratio of three to six per cent. Most people recover within three to four weeks.

The initial symptoms include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a chickenpox-like rash. 

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