WHO emergency committee on monkeypox’s global spread to meet

WAM: The World Health Organisation (WHO) was expected to convene a meeting of experts on Thursday to assess whether the spread of monkeypox should be considered a public health emergency of international concern, German press agency (dpa) reported.

The independent experts will examine whether the world needs to be put on notice about a growing health threat. The results of these deliberations were not expected until Friday.

Designating a global health emergency has no immediate practical consequences beyond making governments and the public more vigilant.

The UN health body’s monkeypox committee is composed of about a dozen scientists.