Health

Comment: Why the WHO was right to label monkeypox an emergency

The declaration might be controversial, but the virus is spreading and countries need a more robust response

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, cast the deciding vote to label monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. Picture: Getty

The World Health Organisation had a hard time deciding whether to label monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) or not. That’s a rare designation, given to Covid-19 and a handful of other diseases such as swine flu in 2009, polio in 2014 and Ebola (twice). It carries binding legal commitments for member nations to act.

A majority of the WHO’s Emergency Committee, however, was unconvinced that monkeypox qualified. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO ...