On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Xavier Becerra declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, which officials say is primarily spreading among homosexual males.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera issued the declaration that the move will allow for quicker distribution of the monkeypox vaccine. Becerra was joined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf on the call.
“I will be declaring a public health emergency on monkeypox … we’re [taking] our response to the next level,” Beccera said, adding Americans should take “monkeypox seriously.”
Currently, there are more than 6,000 monkeypox cases in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as of Thursday, which is more than any other country in the world. There have been more than 600,000 vaccine doses distributed. About 98% of all patients who provided demographic information to clinics identified as men who have sex with men, according to the CDC. But anyone can catch the virus through close physical contact with someone who is infected or contaminated materials.
Earlier this week, the White House named Robert J. Fenton Jr., a FEMA official, to be the monkeypox response coordinator. That move echoes one made in early 2020 to name a response coordinator to COVID-19, with the first being former Vice President Mike Pence.
According to Becerra, the declaration was done because there has been an increase of about 1,500 new monkeypox cases across the United States in the past week or so. The national declaration comes just days after Los Angeles and San Diego counties as well as New York City declared local health emergencies.
Monkeypox is rarely fatal and no deaths have been reported in the U.S. so far, but patients often suffer debilitating pain from the skin rash caused by the virus.
Ron DeSantis has already stated that he will not be declaring an emergency in Florida.
“I’m so sick of politicians—and we saw this with COVID—trying to sow fear into the population,” DeSantis said during a news conference Wednesday. “We are not doing fear,” he added.
“You see some of these states declaring states of emergency, they’re gonna abuse those powers to restrict your freedom,” DeSantis said about new rules around monkeypox. “I guarantee to you that’s what will happen.”
The CDC lists monkeypox symptoms as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, a rash, exhaustion, and respiratory symptoms like coughing and congestion. The symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure and the illness usually lasts two to four weeks.
Is this the newest pandemic that Bill Gates has talked about?
Isn’t it convenient for the Democrats that this newest health emergency is happening so close to the general election? Again?
