The cities of New York and San Francisco , in the United States, declared a state of emergency due to the spike in cases of monkeypox. For his part, the secretary of Health and Human Services at the national level, Xavier Becerra , rejected criticism about the pace of the response and fears that the country has lost the opportunity to contain the virus, which has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
San Francisco became the first large city in the United States to declare a local health emergency for monkeypox, in an effort to strengthen the city’s preparedness and response amid high demand for the vaccine, according to reports.
“We need to be prepared and this declaration will allow us to better serve the city,” said Grant Colfax, the city’s Health Director, adding, “Our response to COVID-19 has taught us that it is imperative that we mobilize the city’s resources.”
“The declaration helps us ensure that we have all the tools available to increase our outreach, testing and treatment, especially for LGBTQ+ people who continue to be at the highest risk of contracting monkeypox,” he explained.
In New York , Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak last Friday, as her administration records more than one in four reported cases of the disease in the country.
“I am declaring a statewide disaster emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to address the monkeypox outbreak,” Hochul announced on his Twitter account.
Likewise, the governor explained that this executive order allows “greater speed” for health professionals to take additional measures to vaccinate against this disease, declared an Imminent Threat to Public Health by the New York State Health Commission. York.
The state has received more than 60,000 doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine , says the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency,and urged gay and bisexual men to reduce their number of partners.
With more than 4,900 infections, the United States concentrates more cases than any other nation, with the states of New York and California leading the statistics.
“The more steps we take to protect ourselves and our partners, the faster we will end this outbreak ,” said Dan Wohlfeiler , who has worked with HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention for more than three decades.
Health authorities promise another 786,000 doses, which would bring more than a million immunizers available in the United States.