WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Urges Global Cooperation After Sweden Confirms First Case of Contagious Monkeypox Variant
Geneva, Switzerland – August 16: The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for global cooperation to tackle the monkeypox outbreak. This comes after Sweden confirmed the first case of a more contagious monkeypox variant outside Africa.
Call for Enhanced Surveillance and Data Sharing
Tedros emphasized the importance of enhanced surveillance, data sharing, and collaboration among countries to combat the spread of the mpox virus. He stated, “Identification of the first #mpox clade 1b infection in Sweden underscores the need for affected countries to tackle the virus together. We encourage all countries to enhance surveillance, share data, and work to better understand the transmission; share tools like vaccines; and apply lessons learned from prior public health emergencies of international concern in addressing the current outbreak.”
First Case in Sweden
Sweden’s Health and Social Affairs Minister, Jakob Forssmed, confirmed the first case of mpox Clade I, a more dangerous variant of the monkeypox disease, during a news conference. This marks the first case of this variant outside of Africa.
Global Public Health Emergency
The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to other countries.
First Case in Pakistan
Pakistan also confirmed its first monkeypox case of the year. A 34-year-old man from Mardan, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, tested positive for the virus. His diagnosis was confirmed by Khyber Medical University in Peshawar on August 13.
Doubts Revealed
WHO -: WHO stands for the World Health Organization. It is a special agency of the United Nations that works to promote health and keep people safe from diseases all around the world.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus -: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization. He is the person in charge of leading the WHO and making important decisions about global health.
Global cooperation -: Global cooperation means countries around the world working together to solve a problem. In this case, it means different countries helping each other to stop the spread of monkeypox.
Monkeypox -: Monkeypox is a disease caused by a virus that can spread from animals to humans and between humans. It causes symptoms like fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
Variant -: A variant is a different form or version of a virus. Sometimes, viruses change slightly, and these new versions are called variants.
Surveillance -: Surveillance in this context means closely watching and tracking the spread of a disease to understand how it is spreading and to control it better.
Data sharing -: Data sharing means different countries and organizations sharing information they have collected about the disease. This helps everyone understand the situation better and make better decisions.
Collaboration -: Collaboration means working together. In this case, it means different countries and health organizations working together to fight the monkeypox outbreak.
Health Minister -: A Health Minister is a government official in charge of public health in a country. They make important decisions about healthcare and disease control.
Mpox Clade I -: Mpox Clade I is a specific type or group of the monkeypox virus. Clades are used to classify different versions of a virus based on their genetic differences.
Public health emergency -: A public health emergency is a situation where a disease poses a serious risk to many people. Declaring an emergency helps to get more resources and attention to control the disease.
Pakistan -: Pakistan is a country in South Asia, neighboring India. It is mentioned here because it reported its first case of monkeypox this year.
Saudi Arabia -: Saudi Arabia is a country in the Middle East. It is mentioned because the first monkeypox case in Pakistan was reported in a man who returned from Saudi Arabia.
