WHO to rename Monkeypox viral disease amid disease outbreak

News Desk — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 10:52:47 +0000

More than 30 countries where the Monkeypox virus is not endemic. Lest, have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with the majority of confirmed cases in Europe.

The virus, which was discovered in monkeys and spreads through close contact, is mostly found in West and Central Africa and only very rarely spreads elsewhere.

According to the most recent official figures, the number of monkeypox cases in the United Kingdom has surpassed 500. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported 52 new monkeypox cases. Thus, in England, one in Scotland, and one in Wales. Hence, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 524 as of Tuesday. The UKHSA reported 504 confirmed cases in England, 13 in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland, and five in Wales.

WHO decides to rename Monkeypox

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to rename the monkeypox virus, which has infected more than 30 countries. The change is the result of concerns raised by a group of international scientists. About the “discriminatory” nature of the virus strain names.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation is “working with partners and experts from around the world on changing the name of the monkeypox virus, its clades, and the disease it causes.” He stated that the WHO will announce the new names as soon as possible.

On June 10, a paper titled. “Urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing nomenclature for monkeypox virus“. Published a request from 30 international scientists to change the name. According to a spokesperson, the current name does not comply with WHO guidelines. Moreover, that advise against using geographic regions or animal names.

According to a spokesperson for the WHO, scientists in orthopoxviruses – the family to which monkeypox belongs – are consulting on more appropriate names. Other disease names that violate the standards, according to joint recommendations from the WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, include swine flu.

According to reports, the WHO will work with experts in orthopoxviruses, which include monkeypox, to come up with more appropriate names.

Covaxin approval delayed as WHO asks for additional data from Bharat Biotech

Cheryll Jain — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 05:45:07 +0000

World Health Organisation’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Tuesday, October 26 sought additional clarification from Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Bharat Biotech to evaluate a final risk-benefit assessment of its domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin.

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India. However, Covaxin has yet to receive the recommendation of WHO for its Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

Additional data from the vaccine maker by the Technical Advisory Group was necessitated just hours after WHO official Dr Margaret Harris had claimed that Covaxin’s recommendation was expected under 24 hours on accounts of all assessments going well.

“Now if all is in place, and all goes well, and if the committee is satisfied, we would expect a recommendation within the next 24 hours or so,” she stated earlier on Tuesday. The TAG will now reconvene on November 3 for the final EUL assessment if the data asked of Bharat Biotech is provided by them soon.

The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (TAG-EUL) is an independent advisory group that provides guidance to WHO on whether a COVID-19 vaccine can be listed for emergency use under the EUL procedure.

Bharat Biotech had submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the World Health Organisation on April 19 to be granted approval for Covaxin to be administered under Emergency Use Listing. The WHO has so far approved COVID-19 vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute of India, Johnson & Johnson-Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm for emergency use.

Covaxin has so far proved 77.8 percent effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 and 65.2 percent protection against the new Delta variant. In June, Bharat Biotech had confirmed that it had concluded the final analysis of Covaxin efficacy from Phase 3 trials.

World Health Organisation | Business Upturn

WHO to rename Monkeypox viral disease amid disease outbreak

WHO decides to rename Monkeypox

Covaxin approval delayed as WHO asks for additional data from Bharat Biotech