United States: On Thursday, August 4, 2022, the U.S. government declared a public health emergency to strengthen the response to the monkeypox outbreak. This outbreak has infected over 6,600 Americans. According to Associated Press, the announcement is expected to free up money and other resources that the U.S. Government can utilize to fight the virus.
Head of the Health and Human Services department, Xavier Becerra, assured that the country is prepared to tackle the outbreak and increase the response to the next level while addressing the monkeypox virus. Additionally, he urged the citizens to take the infection seriously.
This announcement came after the Biden administration faced criticism over the availability of the monkeypox vaccine. Many clinics in major U.S. cities said they had not received enough vaccine doses to meet the demand of their respective areas. A.P. quoted the White House saying that they have made more than 1.1 million doses available. They added that they have also worked on helping boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week.
Earlier this week, the U.S. government listed the names of top Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials. They would act as coordinators from the White House and help combat the monkeypox virus.
Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert, stated that the declaration of a public health emergency is crucial because it signals the sincerity of the U.S. government toward tackling the disease.
Under this declaration, the department can draw emergency funds, hire or reassign stalls to deal with the monkeypox outbreak as well as take action to control its spread, according to A.P.
Gostin also noted that this public health emergency could be extended, like what happened during the Covid-19 global pandemic.
The hurry and urgency come with the limited availability of the two-dose vaccine called Jynneos, which is considered the primary medical weapon against the monkeypox disease. The doses are to be given 28 days apart and are currently being administered to suspected people infected with monkeypox to prevent symptoms.
