By The United States has declared the outbreak of monkeypox virus a public health emergency, as cases reportedly rises to 6,600 in the country.
The Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra made the declaration in a media briefing on Thursday.
He said, “I want to make an announcement today that I will be declaring a public health emergency.
“We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus.”
Becerra added that the Biden administration will “continue to marshal forward the tools” needed to stop the monkeypox outbreak into becoming endemic.
He also signed the public health emergency declaration which could facilitate access to emergency funds, allow health agencies to collect more data about cases and vaccinations, accelerate vaccine distribution and make it easier for doctors to prescribe treatment.
It would be recalled that in July, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the monkeypox virus as a public health emergency of international concern. Over 26,200 monkeypox cases have been confirmed worldwide this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
