US public health officials have declared the spread of the monkeypox disease a public health emergency. The declaration will free up additional government resources to help contain the spread of the virus.
As of August 3, more than 6,600 cases of the disease had
been confirmed in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
“We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in
addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,”
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said at a briefing
Thursday.
In light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency on #monkeypox. We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus. We urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.
— Secretary Xavier Becerra (@SecBecerra) August 4, 2022
The disease can result in symptoms such as fever, headache,
aches, chills, and rashes that can be itchy and painful, but is rarely fatal.
There have been no reported deaths in the United States.
“Monkeypox can be spread from the time symptoms start until
the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has
formed,” said the CDC website. “The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.”
The disease can spread through prolonged and close
skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, and sharing
bedding, towels and clothing. Health officials have emphasised that anyone can
contract the disease, although men who have sex with men have been more likely
to be affected.
The United Nations has also criticised some news coverage
about the virus, warning that poor journalism can “reinforce homophobic and
racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma”.
The Biden administration has faced criticism for its failure
to ensure the availability of vaccines for the disease, contributing to
shortages in cities such as New York and San Francisco.
Earlier this week, the White House named officials from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the CDC to serve as the White
House coordinators to combat the outbreak.
Across the US, a number of states and municipalities have
already declared public health emergencies. California, which has 826 confirmed
cases, declared a state of emergency on August 1, and New York state, which has
1,666 confirmed cases, made a similar announcement on July 29.
International health organisations have also responded. The
World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of monkeypox a public
health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the global health
organisation’s highest level of alert, on July 23.
Cases have been reported in more than 70 countries where the
disease is not typically present, and the CDC has said more than 26,000 cases
have been reported worldwide.
Monkeypox is not known to be a sexually transmitted virus,
but sexual contact would constitute close contact, one of the main routes by
which the virus is known to spread.
The UN has suggested limiting the number of sexual partners
a person has to decrease the risk of transmission. While men who have sex with
men have been disproportionately likely to be affected, public officials have
stressed that anybody can contract monkeypox.
“We know that this virus impacts everyone equally – but we
also know that those in our LGBTQ community are at greater risk right now,”
said San Francisco Mayor London Breed in a July 28 statement declaring
monkeypox a local public health emergency.
“A few weeks ago, the San Francisco Department of Public Health requested 35,000 vaccines to start to get at those most at risk for contracting the virus,” said Breed. “So far, in the last three weeks, we’ve barely received a one-third of that request … we are going to need far more than 35,000 vaccines to protect our LGBTQ community and to slow the spread of this virus.”
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