Hey amigos! 🌍 Guess what? The World Health Organization (WHO) is gearing up for a super important meeting on August 14 to talk about Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) 🦠. This could be a big deal!
So, here's the scoop:
On Wednesday, WHO's emergency committee is getting together (virtually, of course) at 10 a.m. GMT to decide if the Mpox outbreak in several African countries is serious enough to declare a \"public health emergency of international concern\" 😮.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, wrote on X: \"The committee will provide me with its views on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.\"
If they decide it does, they'll be figuring out how to \"better prevent and reduce the spread of the disease,\" which is super important for all of us!
But wait, what is Mpox anyway?
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus that's usually passed from animals to humans but can also spread between people through close physical contact 🤝. It causes fever, muscle aches, and those not-so-fun boil-like skin lesions.
Right now, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is being hit the hardest, with 14,479 confirmed and suspected cases as of August 3, and sadly, 455 deaths 😔, according to the African Union's health agency.
Why does this matter to you?
Well, in our connected world, what happens in one place can affect us all 🌐. Health issues like this remind us how important it is to stay informed and take care of each other.
We'll keep you posted on what the WHO decides and what it means for all of us. Stay safe and keep spreading kindness! ✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
