The Biden administration plans to declare a public health emergency as monkeypox cases cross 6,600 nationwide, two sources familiar with the matter said. told NBC News.
This news was first reported by Politico. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is scheduled to discuss the plan at a briefing on Thursday at 2:15 pm.
Proclamation provided easier access to emergency funding, allowing the Biden administration to collect more data on cases and vaccinations, and accelerate vaccine distribution. , which may make it easier for doctors to prescribe treatment.
His quarter of US cases are in New York state, which declared a state of emergency last week. California and Illinois declared states of emergency on Monday.
The World Health Organization last month declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. It has previously been used for Covid-19, Zika, H1N1 influenza, polio and Ebola. There have been at least 26,200 confirmed cases worldwide this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Monkeypox is spread primarily by sexual contact between men, but this has not been the case in previous virus epidemics. All but 1% of monkeypox casesare people assigned to be male at birth, the Ministry of Health and Human Services said last week.
The WHO recently Advised men who have sex with men to reduce the number of sexual partners and reconsider having sex with new partners while the outbreak is ongoing.
U.S. average A typical monkeypox patient is about 35 years old, but people of all ages can be infected. The CDC has documented her five cases in children. Two in California, two in Indiana, and one non-US infant who tested positive in Washington, D.C.
But Jennifer Rice Epstein, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, said patients in her city were exposed through close contact.
HHS As of last week, 37% of monkeypox cases in the United States were white, followed by Hispanics or Latinos (31%), blacks (27%), and Asians (4%).
Most US cases report a rash
The most common monkeypox symptoms include a rash – so far in 99% of US cases. Reported - malaise, fever, swollen lymph nodes. Some patients also report chills, headaches, and muscle aches.
According to the WHO, some monkeypox patients develop one or two lesions in the rash, while others develop thousands
The last published study, the monthly New England Journal of Medicine, which examined monkeypox cases in 16 countries from April to June, found that nearly 65% of people were found to have fewer than 10 lesions. Lesions were most commonly found in the anal or genital area, followed by the trunk, arms or legs. A few people had lesions on the face, palms, or soles of the feet.
Studies found that symptoms usually appeared within a week of exposure. Approximately 13% of those surveyed were hospitalized, mostly for pain management.
Monkeypox lesions usually progress from red areas to small bumps on the skin that may turn into painful blisters filled with a whitish fluid. A recent study of smallpox casesfound that red rashes in some people did not progress to pus-filled blisters.
In the London study, only 61% of patients had developed flu-like symptoms before the onset of symptoms, but about 39% first developed lesions.
"Stay ahead of the virus and end this outbreak."
Public health officials are using a combination of testing, targeted vaccination, and treatment to control outbreaks. I rely on
As of July 28, the United States has distributed 338,000 doses of her Jynneos vaccine. This is a two-dose regimen that can prevent monkeypox if given before or within 4 days of exposure. Symptoms can be relieved if given within 14 days of exposure. An additional 786,000 doses were provided to the state on July 29.
The US has ordered an additional 5.5 million doses, which will be available by May 2023, HHS said.
US testing capacity has also increased from 6,000 weekly tests in May to 60,000 to 80,000 today.
Additionally, approximately 10,000 people in the United States are receiving her TPOXX, an antiviral drug that is licensed for use against smallpox but can also be used to treat monkeypox. The Strategic National Stockpile contains 1.7 million therapeutics, according to HHS. However, drug use is currently limited to critically ill patients or those at high risk of becoming seriously ill. Extensive paperwork must be completed in order to prescribe it.
Expanding access to TPOXX will help sexual health providers reach HHS and Becerra for national public health It's one of the many reasons I called for a state of emergency to be declared.
"It would be unconscionable not to make changes to make his TPOXX accessible to all who need it," said his director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. said David Harvey in his call to the News on Tuesday.
HHS officials still hope to prevent monkeypox from becoming endemic in the United States. Go ahead and end this outbreak.
