Why Monkeypox Is a Threat to All of Us

Hi, it’s Cynthia in New York. The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency this past weekend, putting pressure on governments to stop this virus in its tracks. But before we get into why that matters…

Monkeypox isn’t Covid—it’s not airborne, nor does it appear to be nearly as deadly. But that doesn’t mean it isn't a major public health threat. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made that point loud and clear when he declared it a public health emergency this past weekend, though the WHO’s expert committee couldn’t come to a consensus on whether it was warranted yet. So why did Tedros do it?