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The United States government declared a national public health emergency on Thursday over the monkeypox outbreak, at a time when nearly 7,000 cases are registered in the country.
With the initiative, the authorities hope to take the response to the disease “to the next level,” said the Secretary of Health, Xavier Becerra. The decision will allow the federal government to allocate more funds to deal with the wave of infections.
The agencies will be able to launch the development of new vaccines and treatments, as well as hire new specialized personnel.
“We encourage all Americans to take monkeypox seriously and take responsibility to help us deal with this virus,” the health secretary added in a call with reporters.
The announcement comes after the states of New York, Illinois and California also declared a state of emergency due to the rapid increase in cases of this virus, which is endemic to Africa but has been detected in at least 75 countries since May.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 26,000 people have been infected globally.
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Pressure to address the outbreak
The US also named two officials earlier this week who will handle the outbreak from a central level.
Similarly, last July the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert for monkeypox, which is its maximum warning.
Since the first cases were registered in May, activists and public health experts have asked both the WHO and the different governments of the world faster virus responseto prevent it from becoming an endemic disease outside the African continent.
These groups have also warned about discrimination against the LGBTIQ+ population, a community in which a high number of cases have been registered and which has faced enormous challenges when seeking medical attention.
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Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health of the United States.
but anyone may be at risk of infection of the virus, It is transmitted through physical contact. The majority of the population usually recovers within two weeks, according to the WHO.
However, it could pose a danger to pregnant women, children and immunocompromised people.
First identified in apes in 1958, and then in humans in 1970, monkeypox is a disease that cause fever, headaches, and foot lesionshe which sometimes contain pus.
Vaccine problems
There are antivirals to combat monkeypox, as well as two vaccines, but these resources are limited and mass production to deal with the outbreak could take months.
US health authorities have said that one solution to the vaccine shortage could be to administer just one-fifth of the dose of Jynneosthe drug approved in January.
According to Secretary Becerra, the North American country will make more than a million vaccines against the disease available to the states in the coming days. Of these, 600,000 have already been delivered.
They also expect to receive another 150,000 doses in September, and additional vaccines in October and November.
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