United States: On Monday, August 1, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in order to combat the rising number of monkeypox cases in the state.
California is the third in the United States of America, after New York and Illinois, to issue a state-wide emergency over the monkey pox disease.
According to Governor Gavin Newsom, a state-wide emergency declaration will help coordinate a better response to monkeypox, raise awareness and secure more vaccines.
In a statement, the californian government stated that the state of California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox. The state has leveraged their robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships during the pandemic to ensure that those who are most at risk are the focus of the state for vaccines, treatment and outreach,”
Governor Newsom assured the citizens of California that “The state will continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines. Additionally, they would work on raising awareness about reducing risk factors and stand with the LGBTQ community to fight stigmatization.
Last week, San Francisco became the first major city in the United States to declare a local emergency over the monkey pox outbreak.
London N Breed, the Mayor of San Francisco, stated, “San Francisco showed during the Covid-19 pandamic that early action is essential for protecting public health.”
He added that while the state knows that this virus impacts everyone equally – it also recognizes that those in our LGBTQ community are at greater risk right now.
The state of California has reported 827 monkeypox cases so far, and this number is the second highest in the country after New York.
The total number of cases in the country adds up to 5,811, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
