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Paul Hunter, Professor of Medicine, University of East Anglia

Monkeypox: World Health Organization declares it a global health emergency – here's what that means

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency.

The committee of independent advisers who met on Thursday July 21 2022, were split on their decision on whether to call the growing monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) – the highest level of alert.

The head of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, broke the deadlock and declared the outbreak a PHEIC. This is the first time the WHO director general has side-stepped his advisers to declare a public health emergency.

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