Monkeypox cases: Amid a global rise in monkeypox cases, Indonesia confirmed its first case of the viral disease, reports suggested on Saturday. Indonesia's neighbour - Singapore reported its first case last month.
Earlier, Iran had also confirmed its first case of monkeypox. The report said health authorities quarantined a 34-year-old woman living in the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
WHO declares monkeypox a global health emergency
The expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that qualifies as a global emergency, the World Health Organization chief said, a declaration that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.
Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. A global emergency is the WHO’s highest level of alert but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal.
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