Authorities in New York declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Saturday, saying the city was the epicenter of the outbreak in the state and the move would increase measures to slow the spread of the disease.
“We estimate that approximately 150,000 New Yorkers may currently be at risk of exposure to monkeypox,” Mayor Eric Adams and Dr. Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said in a joint statement. “This outbreak must be met with urgency, action and resources, both nationally and globally, and this declaration of a public health emergency reflects the seriousness of the moment.”
The declaration is effective immediately, the announcement said.
It comes just a day after New York Gov. Cathy Hochul issued an executive order declaring a state emergency, saying “more than one in four cases of monkeypox in this country” are in the state. Among several other actions, the governor’s order expands the number of people eligible for monkeypox vaccines, requires providers to submit vaccine data to the state health department, and will strengthen ongoing response efforts, including efforts to obtain more vaccines and expanding testing capacity, the governor’s office said.
What you need to know about monkeypox
Other leaders in the U.S. — and around the world — are sounding the alarm about monkeypox as the number of infections continues to rise and vaccine supply falls short of demand. Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, stressed that the monkeypox outbreak must be taken seriously and dealt with more severely as federal officials continue to declare a public health emergency across the country.
San Francisco became the first major US city to declare a local health emergency on Thursday in an effort to boost its preparedness and response amid “rapidly rising cases” and high demand for the vaccine, the city said. The declaration takes effect from Monday.
“We know this virus affects everyone equally — but we also know that those in our LGBTQ community are at greater risk right now,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “Many people in our LGBTQ community are scared and frustrated. This local emergency will allow us to continue to support our most vulnerable, while better preparing for what lies ahead.”
In Washington, the federal government continues to monitor the monkeypox response and will use it to assess whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency, US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday.
“We will weigh any decision to declare a public health emergency based on the responses we see across the country.” Ultimately, we need to get ahead of this and be able to end this epidemic,” he said.
Former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned earlier this month that it may be too late to contain the outbreak, telling CBS: “The window to get this under control and contained is probably closed .”
Last weekend, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after convening its second emergency panel on the matter.
WHO defines a public health emergency of international concern as an “emergency event” that poses a “public health risk to other countries through the international spread of disease” and “potentially requires a coordinated international response”.
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