WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.
The rare designation means the WHO now views the outbreak as a significant enough threat to global health that a coordinated international response is needed.
The WHO last issued a global health emergency in January 2020 in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Europe is the epicenter of the outbreak. Right now, men who have sex with men are the community at highest risk.
The WHO chief said the global risk is moderate, but the threat is high in Europe.
Monkeypox is unlikely to disrupt international trade or travel right now, the WHO chief said.
More than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported across more than 70 countries so far this year, and the number of confirmed infections rose 77% from late June through early July, according to WHO data. Men who have sex with men are currently at highest risk of infection.
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