On May 20, the WHO held an “emergency meeting” to discuss monkeypox.
As Reuters reported, members of the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH), “which advises on infection risks that could pose a global health threat,” will soon decide whether or not “the outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.”
As the aforementioned Dr. Malone noted, it shouldn’t. But don’t be surprised if the WHO thinks otherwise.
Members of the WHO, one of the most powerful agencies in the world, are currently working on a new pandemic prevention and preparedness treaty. The drafting progress will continue for the next few months. Then, on Aug. 1, members will meet to discuss the progress made. Next year, at the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA), they will deliver the report. If everything goes to plan, then changes will take effect two years from now.