The National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass) proposed to the Ministry of Health that Monkeypox, or monkeypox, be recognized as a Public Health Emergency of National Interest. The document, which CNN had access, was sent this Wednesday (10) to the folder.
THE CNN, the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, stated that there are currently no technical requirements for declaring a public health emergency for the disease.
“There is a technical area that supports the ministry in this type of decision. Decisions must be supported by epidemiological data, health system capacity and duly substantiated. The COE (Emergency Operations Center) assesses the scenario daily and has the representation of subnational entities”, said the minister.
According to Conass, in recent weeks there has been an increase in Monkeypox cases in Brazil. “On July 25 we had a record of 813 confirmed cases and on August 8 we had a record of 2,293 accumulated cases. A 182% increase in 2 weeks.”
The document lists some reasons for the request, including the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the Monkeypox Epidemic as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23.
And the fact that “there are still no vaccines and specific treatment available in the national territory, as well as the access to these in the world market is still quite restricted”.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of August 4, 2022, a total of 26,326 probable and laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported to the WHO in 89 countries worldwide.
Monkeypox got its name because it was first identified in colonies of monkeys kept for research in 1958. Only later, in 1970, was it detected in humans as well. The name will be changed by the WHO to avoid stigma and aggression against animals.
Source: CNN Brasil
