The United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, a move that should free up funds, aid in data collection, and deploy additional staff in the fight against the disease. “We are ready to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and urge all Americans to take monkeypox seriously and take responsibility for helping us deal with this virus,” explained Secretary of Health, Xavier. Becerra.
The announcement came during a briefing by the Department of Health and Human Services. More than 6,600 Americans have been affected by the virus since the outbreak began in mid-May. The US administration’s announcement comes after last month’s announcement by the World Health Organization, which declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. A well-informed federal official explained that declaring a state of emergency in the United States would mean the outbreak now poses a significant threat to Americans and would set in motion a number of measures identified to reverse the trend. It would also give federal agencies the power to speed up vaccines and drugs, access emergency funding, and hire more workers to help manage the outbreak, which began in May.
