On Tuesday, the UN emergency committee determined that monkeypox should continue to be classified as a global health emergency. The WHO stated that monkeypox continues to meet the International Health Regulations (IHR) criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The statement released by WHO after the third meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee noted that the Emergency Committee has acknowledged that some progress has been made in the global response to the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox, which includes emerging information on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions and vaccines.

The third meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee was held on Thursday regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox. The third meeting was reportedly convened via videoconference, wherein 11 of the 15 members and six of the nine advisors to the committee took part in the meeting.

The WHO Secretariat updated the committee on the global epidemiological situation as well as on the rapidly evolving knowledge of understanding the clinical manifestation and evolution of the disease. The secretariat noted that many countries have promptly responded to the outbreak with a range of public health interventions and that cases are declining globally. However, they also added that the picture is mixed and, overall, the risk assessment conducted by the WHO Secretariat concludes that as of October 18, 2022, the public health risk remains moderate globally.

(Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/world/monkeypox-continues-to-meet-criteria-for-public-health-emergency-who-11667309216870.html )