One of the factors that have turned the global balances upside down since the end of 2019 was undoubtedly the coronavirus pandemic we experienced. Even before the effects of that epidemic wore off, a global emergency was declared for a new pandemic.
This time, the cause of the emergency was the disease called monkey pox. World Health Organization officials, who gave information about the epidemic, also announced which groups were at greater risk. Europe was shown as the center of the epidemic.
Global emergency declared
The World Health Organization has also raised the threat assessment level to the top by declaring a global emergency for the growing monkeypox epidemic. With this decision, it was understood that WHO saw the epidemic as an important threat that required coordinated work on a global scale.
Although the statement from the World Health Organization does not have any sanctioning authority on governments, it is seen as an important tool for states to take action as soon as possible. The United Nations-affiliated organization announced at its meeting last month that there was no need to declare a global emergency.
Monkey pox is different from Covid-19
In the monkeypox epidemic, whose center is currently determined as Europe and North America, 80 percent of the cases occur in these two continents. In fact, the fact that this disease is seen especially in the rural areas of West and Central Africa makes this situation remarkable.
While the idea of a new pandemic is scary, we are facing a different situation than Covid-19. Unlike Covid-19, monkeypox is not a new disease and was first discovered in 1958. Health teams will be much more knowledgeable and prepared against this disease, which comes from the same family as chickenpox, which disappeared in the 1980s.