WHO declared the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for COVID-19 on May 5, 2023, and for mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) on May 11, 2023. Throughout its use, the meaning of the term PHEIC has been muddled. We call for a new, objective epidemic scale that better communicates the potential severity of an epidemic to member states and the public, and the necessity of activating proportional responses.