WHO will meet again to discuss whether monkeypox is a global health emergency

Editor's Note

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on July 12 that it will hold an emergency meeting—the second emergency meeting convened—next week to determine the global health risk of monkeypox, CNBC July 12 reports. The organization decided not to declare monkeypox a global health emergency just last month, noted an earlier CNBC report from June 25.

According to the United Nations, there have been 9,200 cases of monkeypox reported around the world and three deaths from the virus this year. In the US, 760 cases across 37 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico have been reported, according to CNBC. Earlier this month, The US Department of Health and Human Services announced it had ordered an additional 2.5 million doses of the FDA-licensed Bavarian Nordic's JYNNEOS vaccine in response to current or future monkeypox outbreaks and as part of US smallpox preparedness.

Monkeypox is not a new disease; it was first discovered in 1958 and is in the same virus family as smallpox. The virus symptoms may include a painful rash all over the body with a pimple or blister appearance. Symptoms typically last between 2 to 4 weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.