Whenever there is an outbreak of a disease in the world – such as monkeypox – it is up to the World Health Organization (WHO) to consider what sort of weight to give it, including whether or not it constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Global efforts to manage epidemics are documented as far back as the black plague in Europe in the 14th century. Since that time, rules have been developed and honed to keep up with the emergence of new diseases as well as with the growing complexities of a world that’s increasingly connected.
