World Health Organization declares ultra-deadly monkeypox strain a public health emergency of international concern

The World Health Organization today declared an ultra-deadly strain of monkeypox a global public health emergency.

Officials said an outbreak of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighboring countries posed 'international concern' - the WHO's highest level of alert.

The hope is to speed up research and roll out vaccines to contain the virus, which is more infectious and several times deadlier than the one that caused the global outbreak in 2022.

No cases of the new strain have been reported in the US or the UK yet, but the American CDC is urging doctors to be extra vigilant for symptoms like skin rashes and lesions.