Monkeypox outbreak "poses a real risk" to public health, WHO says

• Kluge said governments, health officials and general society "need to act with urgency" in order to control the outbreak.

Details: Kluge listed three steps that could slow the spread of monkeypox, which has infected at least 1,600 people across 39 countries this year.

• Countries should conduct contact tracing, testing and sequencing to identify new cases, Kluge said.
• Society can work to stop human-to-human transmission by raising awareness of monkeypox, he said. Mass events shouldn't be canceled, but used as opportunities to share information about the virus.
• Kluge said countries must collaborate on treatments, vaccines and information about the virus.

The big picture: WHO announced it will convene an emergency meeting on June 23 to decide whether or not the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency, the Associated Press reports.

• "We don't want to wait until the situation is out of control," said WHO director Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, per AP.
• The organization is also looking to change the name of the virus due to concerns it can stoke racism and stigma, Axios' Shawna Chen writes.