The US government has declared a national emergency over the spread of monkey pox. The move should, among other things, free up federal resources to fight the virus. “We stand ready to take our response to this virus to the next level, and we urge every American to take monkey pox seriously and take responsibility,” U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Thursday.
Given the rapid spread of monkey pox, the WHO declared the highest alert level almost two weeks ago. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak was an “emergency of international concern”. The international spread of the infectious disease is unusual. So far, it has essentially been limited to six African countries.
More than a million doses of vaccine delivered
According to the Department of Health, there are now about 6,600 cases in the United States. About 1.1 million doses of vaccine would be made available to people in the country, Becerra said. He announced that he would increase testing capacity to 80,000 per week. Individual US states and major cities, such as New York State and San Francisco, California, had previously declared a state of emergency and requested federal assistance.
Currently, the outbreak largely targets men who have sex with men. However, according to the US health authority CDC, cases in children have already been confirmed in the US. Monkeypox infection can cause a skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, and muscle aches. As a rule, the disease is not fatal, but last Friday and Saturday the first two European deaths were announced in Spain.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
