WHO to convene emergency meeting over monkeypox
The World Health Organization summons experts to discuss the spread of monkeypox in a number of countries.
According to Reuters, the World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting next Friday on the spread of monkeypox.
The Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH), which advises the WHO on infection risks that can endanger global health, is set to meet as more than 100 cases of monkeypox were reported outside of the countries in Africa where it is endemic.
STAG-IH is a group of experts made up of scientists from across the world and is chaired by David Heymann, an epidemiology professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
A WHO spokesperson told a press briefing in Geneva that the organization was working to share information and organize technical meetings on the outbreak. It is worth noting that STAG-IH is not the committee within WHO that would suggest declaring monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.