The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it does not believe the monkeypox outbreak outside Africa will lead to a pandemic.
The W.H.O. is considering whether the outbreak should be assessed as a “potential public health emergency of international concern” or PHEIC. Such a declaration, as was done for COVID-19 and Ebola, would help accelerate research and funding to contain the disease.
Asked whether this monkeypox outbreak has the potential to grow into a pandemic, the technical lead for monkeypox from the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Rosamund Lewis, has this to say: