GENEVA — The mpox virus continues to pose a public health emergency of international concern, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Friday.

Following a meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee, Tedros confirmed in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that he had accepted the committee’s recommendation to maintain the emergency status.

“The upsurge of mpox continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern,” Tedros stated, citing the rising number of cases, the virus's geographic spread, operational challenges, and the need for a coordinated response among countries.

He urged affected nations to intensify efforts to curb the outbreak and called on the global community to collaborate in eliminating the threat.

The WHO first declared mpox a global public health emergency in August, marking the second time in two years, following the spread of a new variant of the virus from Congo to neighboring countries.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox until the name was changed in 2022 to avoid stigmatization, is a zoonotic viral disease. It spreads through close physical contact with an infected person or animal, or via contaminated materials.

Symptoms typically include rashes or lesions, along with flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. — Agencies