The White House declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the U.S.
“We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Thursday.
Prior to the White House’s declaration, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Around the world, there are upwards of 26,000 cases of monkeypox. However, the U.S. population accounts for more than 20% of those cases with 6,616 cases alone.
The White House’s public health emergency declaration in the U.S. will allow health officials to access additional funding and utilize more resources to combat the disease. The federal government will also be able to secure contracts to obtain treatments and medical supplies. The initial, emergency declaration will last up to 90 days, but it can be extended at Xavier Becerra’s request.
Initial reports from NPR indicate that most monkeypox cases thus far have been contracted from sexual contact. The disease can also spread through close, face-to-face interactions as well as touching a contaminated surface. However, health experts say that it would take much longer to contract the disease in this manner.
“Many diseases can be spread through sexual contact. You could get a cough or a cold through sexual contact, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a sexually transmitted disease,” Andy Seale told CNBC in May.
“This is a virus that is super stable outside the human host, so it can live on objects like blankets and things like that. And so you can see situations where people become reluctant to try on clothing, things like that,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb added in a separate interview.
More information regarding monkeypox and the recent public health emergency declaration can be found here.
