U.S. declares public health emergency over monkeypox outbreak

The United States declared monkeypox to be a public emergency, the country’s health secretary said on Tuesday as the number of monkeypox cases reaches almost 6,600.

"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 at a briefing.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said that the declaration of an emergency will help improve the availability of monkeypox vaccines and prepare the country for a better response to the outbreak.

The move will help speed up the distribution of the vaccines, treatments, and federal resources to help fight the rapidly-spreading virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox to be a "public health emergency of international concern" at its highest level last month. The organization hoped that the declaration would trigger a coordinated international response, particularly when it comes to vaccines and treatments.

The U.S. has been criticized for its response to the monkeypox outbreak, as vaccines and treatments to fight the virus are short in supply nationwide.

So far, the U.S. has distributed more than 600,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccines and 14,000 of Siga Technologies’ TPOXX treatment. However, it remains unclear how many have been administered.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced the appointment of a team to coordinate and oversee the national response to the outbreak.

Walensky added that the U.S. government plans to vaccinate more than 1.6 million high-risk individuals in the coming weeks. The vaccine can help prevent the disease when given within four days of exposure to a monkeypox case. If given 14 after exposure, it can reduce symptoms but it will not prevent the disease.

The first case of monkeypox was reported in the United Kingdom on May 7, since then the disease has spread to several other countries. 

Monkeypox is similar to smallpox, although milder. Its symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, chills, and exhaustion. It also causes a rash that looks like blisters, according to the CDC. 

Currently, over 26,000 cases of the disease have been confirmed worldwide, according to data from the CDC. More than a quarter of the monkeypox cases in the U.S. have appeared in New York state, which declared a state of emergency last week.