Monkeypox Declared Public Health Emergency by Biden Administration
monkeypox outbreak, the Biden administration on Thursday declared it a public health emergency.The designation signals that the disease now poses a significant threat to Americans, and the government is increasing its implementation of measures to contain it.More than a week after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over the MPV outbreak, the U.S.
federal government has been authorized to use funds to develop and evaluate vaccines, obtain emergency funding, and hire additional workers to fight it.“We’re 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 in announcing the declaration during a call with reporters Thursday afternoon.President Joe Biden and Becerra have been under intense pressure from activists and public health experts to move more aggressively to combat the outbreak.
Earlier this week, Biden named Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a veteran emergency response official and a respected infectious disease specialist who has overseen HIV/AIDS prevention efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to help coordinate the MPV response from the White House — a sign that the administration is stepping up its efforts.
Biden selected FEMA's Robert Fenton as coordinator and Daskalakis as deputy coordinator. The CDC reports that there have been more than 6,600 confirmed MPV cases in the U.S.Supplies of the monkeypox vaccine, called Jynneos, have been severely constrained, and the administration has been criticized for moving too slowly to expand the number of doses.
