The United States will declare a public health emergency to bolster the federal response to the monkeypox outbreak that has already infected more than 6,600 Americans, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The announcement will free up federal funding and resources to fight the virus, which can cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps in many parts of the body. The people spoke on condition of anonymity before the announcement.
The statement comes as the Biden administration has faced criticism over the pace of monkeypox vaccine availability. Clinics in major cities such as New York and San Francisco say they have not received enough of the two-shot vaccine to meet demand, and some have had to stop offering the second dose of the vaccine to ensure supplies of the first doses.
Read more: Monkeypox: 890 cases reported in Canada, most in Ontario
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The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million doses of vaccine available and helped boost national diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week.
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The monkeypox virus is spread through close and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, hugging, and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels, and clothing. The people who have gotten sick so far have mostly been men who have sex with men. But health officials stress that the virus can infect anyone.
The announcement comes three days after the Biden administration named senior officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to act as White House coordinators to combat the outbreak. monkey pox
2:28 Monkey pox case detected at Toronto shelter Monkey pox case detected at Toronto shelter
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