As monkeypox continues to surge in the United States, the Biden administration will likely declare a public health emergency on Thursday, according to federal officials familiar with the debate.
The declaration indicates that the pandemic is now a grave threat to Americans, and launches a range of measures designed to turn the tide. empower federal agencies Vaccines and medicines must be procured quickly, emergency funds must be accessed, and additional workers must be hired to help manage the outbreak that began in May.
The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency for the outbreak on 23 July.
Supplies of the monkeypox vaccine, called Jynneos, are severely limited, and the government has been harshly criticized for moving too slowly to expand doses. , may allow rapid access to tecovirimato, a drug recommended for the treatment of the disease.
News of the administration’s plans was first reported by The Washington Post.
As of Wednesday, nearly 7,000 monkeypox cases were recorded in the United States. Maximum rate per capita in Washington, New York and Georgia. Over 99% of his cases are men who have sex with men.
The virus is transmitted primarily during close physical contact. Infections are rarely fatal — no deaths have been reported here — but they can be extremely painful. The United States has the highest percentage in the world, and that number is expected to increase as surveillance and testing improve.
What you need to know about the monkeypox virus
What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox, but less severe. It was discovered in 1958 after an outbreak in monkeys kept for research. The virus was primarily found in parts of Central and West Africa, but has spread to dozens of countries in recent weeks, infecting tens of thousands of people. On July 23, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global health emergency.
Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles and a member of the WHO’s Advisory Board on Monkeypox, said declaring monkeypox a state of emergency “is critical and must be addressed now.” Sending out a strong message that
Dr. Limowan is one of the scientific advisors who urged WHO to classify monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern.
With panelists disagreeing on the issue, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus overruled his advisors and declared monkeypox an emergency. This is a condition currently held by only two other diseases, Covid-19 and polio.
The WHO declaration tells Member States that they need to take the outbreak seriously, dedicate significant resources to contain it, and cooperate with other countries by sharing information, vaccines and medicines. I’m here.
In the United States, there are growing calls for stronger measures against monkeypox. California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff recently said: called on the Biden administration Strengthen vaccine manufacturing and distribution, and develop long-term strategies to fight the virus.
Sen. Patti Murray, a Washington Democrat who heads the health committee, said: pressed The Department of Health and Human Services will provide a detailed description of the measures being taken to contain the outbreak.
Dr. Carlos Del Rio, an infectious disease doctor at Emory University in Atlanta, says the decision to declare a state of emergency is likely to be politically unpopular. He noted that much of Congress is pressuring the administration to lift the Covid-19 public health emergency.
Still, “I think it was too late for the United States to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency,” he said.
By urgent designation, FDA Approving A means by which monkeypox can be diagnosed, prevented, or treated without the usual exhaustive review of the authorities. Officials have relied heavily on this provision to expedite coronavirus tests, vaccines and treatments.
Declaring an emergency also gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention access to more information from health care providers and states. Federal agencies like the CDC cannot compel states to share data on cases and vaccinations.
During the outbreak, federal health officials routinely Shared information capacity to test or number of vaccines shipped to states. However, CDC data on the number of cases lags behind local public health agency data, and little or no demographic information is available on how many people have been vaccinated.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a recent event hosted by The Washington Post:
Government agencies are working to expand access to state data, but in the meantime, information is spotty and unreliable. Local health departments have grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic for more than two years After that, lack of funds, lack of manpower, exhaustion.
“It is important to declare this monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, but more importantly, we need to strengthen the level of federal and local coordination, close vaccine supply gaps, and take action from Congress to address this crisis. It’s about securing the budget to deal with it.” Greg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health and his WHO adviser on monkeypox, said:
“Otherwise we are talking about a new endemic virus taking root in this country.”
