A quick note, on the outcome of the emergency committee meeting on monkeypox convened by WHO under the International Health Regulations.
The consensus recommendation of the committee, agreed to by the DG of WHO, was AGAINST declaring monkeypox to be a PHEIC. The Committee’s deliberations are detailed here: https://www.who.int/news/item/25-06-2022-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee--regarding-the-multi-country-monkeypox-outbreak#:~:text=The%20Committee%20recognized%20that%20monkeypox,access%20to%20essential%20supplies%20worldwide.
The committee listed a number of potential developments which it considered should prompt a re-assessment, including increased growth rate of cases in the next few weeks, involvement of vulnerable groups, increased severity/virulence, enhanced transmissibility, and immune escape.
The Singapore Statement on Global Health Security was agreed and released today, building on the Sydney Statement of 2019, and launched at the Singapore Global Health Security Conference: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/7/6/e009949.full.pdf
Best wishes,
David Powell
IATA Medical Advisor