A widely shared video on social media (here, here, and here) claims that the WHO chief announced that Mpox is no longer a global health emergency just days after the official statement. Let’s find out the authenticity of the claim through this article.
Claim: The WHO chief declares that Mpox is no longer a global health Emergency in a video of August 2024.
Fact: The viral video is an old video from the WHO, dating back to July 2023, it is not a recent announcement. In this video, WHO Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the end of the public health emergency declared in July 2022 over an outbreak of the infectious disease Mpox, which causes symptoms such as fever, aches, low energy, and painful, pus-filled skin lesions. The viral video is not recent. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to the original WHO (World Health Organization) video, uploaded on 15 May 2023. At the 0:36 mark, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO chief, states, “Yesterday, the emergency committee for Mpox met and recommended to me that the multi-country outbreak of Mpox no longer represents a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted the advice and am pleased to declare that Mpox is no longer a global health emergency,” which matches the viral video. This confirmed that the video is not recent.
Notably, the WHO declared Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in July 2022, as reported by multiple outlets (here, and here). This designation was lifted in May 2023, The viral video is from the same announcement. The viral video does not reflect the WHO’s recent decision on Mpox.
To sum up, an old WHO video from July 2023, declaring MPox was no longer a Public Health Emergency, is being falsely presented as a recent announcement in August 2024.
