The monkeypox outbreak has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation following a surge in cases. The decision for the body to trigger its highest alert for the disease comes as it has spread to more than 70 countries.
As of July 18, there were 2,137 confirmed cases in the UK, including a suspected case in Newark, 2,050 were recorded in England and the majority in London.
Declaring a global emergency means the Monkeypox outbreak is an “extraordinary event” that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response. The WHO previously declared emergencies for public health crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, the Zika virus in Latin America in 2016 and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.
