Fact check: Has the monkeypox outbreak officially been declared a pandemic?
As the number of monkeypox cases continues to rise, global health officials are keeping a close eye on the virus.
As of Thursday, 3,308 monkeypox cases had been reported in 43 countries, with 155 of those cases documented in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No deaths associated with the current outbreak have been reported.
Of the monkeypox cases in the U.S., 40 cases have been reported in California and 22 have been reported in New York, according to the CDC. No cases have been reported in North Carolina.
While some experts believe the outbreak doesn’t rise to the level of an epidemic, social media users are claiming monkeypox has officially been recognized as a pandemic.
Origins of the rumor
In a tweet Wednesday night, the World Health Network declared monkeypox a pandemic. The tweet has since been shared by more than 800 times, including some medical professionals.
The WHN is a non-governmental nonprofit “devoted to the development and execution of science-based global, national and local pandemic response,” the organization’s website says.
How a pandemic is declared
The World Health Organization is responsible for declaring pandemics. The WHO monitors diseases on a global scale and has a six-phase plan for pandemic alerts, with phase 1 representing the lowest level of alert.
There is no evidence that the WHN is affiliated with the WHO or has the authority to officially declare an outbreak a pandemic.
Will monkeypox be declared a pandemic by the WHO?
The WHO is planning to meet today to determine if monkeypox is a public health emergency of international concern, Newsweek and other media outlets reported.
For an outbreak to be declared a pandemic, the WHO must first confirm a disease is spreading worldwide.
Dr. Vincent Hsu, an epidemiologist and executive director of infection prevention for AdventHealth told Newsweek that he does not believe the monkeypox outbreak will be as severe as COVID-19, but it could still have a negative impact if more resources aren’t made available.
“Although the disease will not rise to a COVID-19-like pandemic and the risk to the public currently remains low, if we don’t redouble efforts to ensure the messaging and public health resources are in place, monkeypox is likely to remain in our communities,” Hsu said. “We don’t need another infectious disease to worry about.”
If the monkeypox outbreak is determined to be an emergency of international concern, it will require a coordinated response to curb the spread, said White.
This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 1:16 PM.
