World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced at a press conference that the rapidly spreading monkeypox variant outbreak in Africa constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern" - the highest level global alert under the framework of the International Health Regulations. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the number of reported cases so far this year has exceeded last year's total, with over 14000 infected cases and 524 deaths.