On August 4, the United States declared a public health emergency due to monkeypox, registering 6,600 cases in a single day. The decision will allow it to disburse funds, collect data and mobilize more personnel in the fight against the disease, it was reported.
The declaration is effective for 90 days, but can be renewed. It takes place when 6,600 cases were exceeded nationwide, with approximately a quarter of them in New York state.
In any case, experts believe that there could be many more, because sometimes there are few symptoms, which can be reduced to simple injuries.
Background
Faced with the skyrocketing of monkeypox diagnoses, the American cities of New York (with 1,345 cases) and San Francisco (with 261) had declared a state of emergency at the beginning of this month.
San Francisco was the first US city to declare a local health emergency due to monkeypox, according to the CNN portal. The mayor of that city, London Breed, had explained in a statement that the emergency, which came into effect on August 1, is a legal action that allows city departments to mobilize and coordinate more effectively.
For his part, San Francisco Health Director Grant Colfax added that the statement helped "ensure that we will have all the tools available to increase our outreach, testing and treatment, especially for LGBTQ+ people who continue to be at highest risk of contracting monkeypox," he explained.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health has already confirmed 261 cases of monkeypox in the city, while California has a total of 799 cases.
New York was the second city to declare monkeypox “an imminent threat to public health” due to the rapid spread of the virus. State Commissioner Mary T. Basset explained in a statement that this action meant “that local health departments participating in response and prevention activities can access additional state reimbursements, after other funding sources are maximized.” federal and state agencies, to protect all New Yorkers and ultimately limit the spread of monkeypox in our communities.
At the same time, they clarified that in the city they urge to look for cases of monkeypox beyond men who have sex with other men.
What is known
• The US Department of Health reported last week that around 99% of cases in the United States were recorded in men who have sex with men, making them the priority population for vaccination.
• Unlike previous outbreaks in Africa, the virus is now predominantly transmitted through intimate sexual contact (there is no evidence of sexual fluid transmission), but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that it could also It can be transmitted by sleeping in the same bed, sharing clothing, and through prolonged face-to-face contact.
•The US drug agency, the FDA, stated that it is considering allowing health personnel to administer five doses of vaccine from just one by modifying the way it is injected.
• The US has more cases than any other country, with the states of New York and California leading the statistics.
