Monkeypox: WHO declares global emergency over

By Michelle Roberts

Digital health editor, BBC

Edited by - Amal Udawatta,

A medical professional holds a test tube labelled monkeypox

GETTY IMAGES

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox

Monkeypox is no longer a global public health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, almost a year after the threat was raised.

The virus is still around and further waves and outbreaks could continue, but the highest level of alert is over, the WHO added.

The global health body's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to "remain vigilant".

It can be passed on by close contact with someone who is infected.

What is monkeypox?

Its official name is Mpox and it is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe.

Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles.

Once the fever breaks a rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

Anyone with the virus should abstain from sex while they have symptoms, to help prevent passing it on to others.

Vaccines can protect people too.

More than 87,000 cases and 140 deaths have been reported from 111 countries during the global outbreak, according to a WHO count.

But almost 90% fewer cases were recorded over the last three months compared with the previous three-month period, meaning the highest level of alert is no longer required, Tedros said.

In the UK, only 10 cases have been reported since the beginning of the year.

The announcement comes just a week after the UN agency also declared the Covid emergency over.

Declaring a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) signals that countries need to work together to manage a shared threat, such as a disease outbreak.

There is now just one WHO-declared PHEIC - for poliovirus, which was declared in May 2014.

Dr Katy Sinka, head of sexually transmitted infections at the UK Health Security Agency, said: "If you're eligible and still need to take up the vaccine, please come forward ahead of the summer months to ensure you have maximum protection.

"First doses of the vaccine will end on 16 June and both doses will cease at the end of July."

Comments

Who Was the Real Marilyn Monroe?

From - Smithsonian Magazine, By - Grant Wong Historian, University of South Carolina, Edited by - Vinuri Randhula Silva, “Blonde,” a heavily fictionalized film by Andrew Dominik, explores the star’s life and legend in a narrative that’s equal parts glamorous and disturbing Marilyn Monroe’s final interview is a heartbreaker. Published in Life magazine on August 3, 1962—just a day before the actress died of a barbiturate overdose at age 36—it found Monroe reflecting on her celebrity status, alternatively thoughtful, frank and witty. “When you’re famous you kind of run into human nature in a raw kind of way,” she observed. “It stirs up envy, fame does. People you run into feel that, well, who is she—who is she, who does she think she is, Marilyn Monroe?” That same question—who was the real Monroe?—has sparked debate among cinema scholars , cultural critics , historians , novelists , filmmakers and th...

New Comet SWAN Now Visible in Small Scopes

From :- Sky & Telescope By :- Bob King Edited by :- Amal Udawatta This spectacular image of Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2) was taken on April 6th and shows a bright, condensed coma 5′ across and dual ion tails. The longer one extends for 2° in PA 298° and the other 30′ in PA 303°. Details: 11"/ 2.2 RASA and QHY600 camera. Michael Jaeger Amateur astronomers have done it again — discovered a comet. Not by looking through a telescope but through close study of publicly released, low-resolution images taken by the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) camera on the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). On March 29th, Vladimir Bezugly of Ukraine was the first to report a moving object in SWAN photos taken the week prior. Michael Mattiazzo of Victoria, Australia, independently found "a pretty obvious comet" the same day using the same images, noting that the object was about 11th magnitude and appeared to be brightening. R...

Best Double Stars in the Pleiades Cluster

From -Sky & Telescope By - Bob King Edited by- Amal Udawatta The dipper-shaped Pleiades cluster (M45) is also called the Seven Sisters and named for the mythological seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. The young cluster is between 75 and 150 million years and lies 444 light-years from Earth. Jared-Bowens The Pleiades star cluster is one of the night sky's best-known astronomical sights. Alluring to the naked eye, it's even more amazing through binoculars or a small telescope, both of which reveal dozens more stars. As the cluster plows through space at 6 kilometers per second (13,400 mph), its hot, youthful suns illuminate a happenstance interstellar cloud, turning it into a gossamer nebula that temporarily enshrouds the stellar bunch. Additional treasures lie within its bounds: There are also about a half-dozen double and multiple stars within the Pleiades. You might already be familiar with 2.9-magnitude Alcyone, a choice triple st...

Nature Hub

Search This Blog