New York: Public health emergency has been declared in New York City in order to stem the currently fast growing cases of monkeypox.
The move from the NYC authorities came on Saturday with an aim to boost measures to help slow the spread of the disease as the city is considered to be the epicenter of the monkeypox outbreak.
Mayor Eric Adams and Dr. Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the city’s health and mental hygiene department were quoted by CNN as saying: “We estimate that approximately 150,000 New Yorkers may currently be at risk for monkeypox exposure,”
“We will continue to work with our federal partners to secure more [vaccine] doses as soon as they become available,” Adams and Vasan said in the statement.
“This outbreak must be met with urgency, action and resources, both nationally and globally, and this declaration of a public health emergency reflects the seriousness of the moment.”
“This outbreak must be met with urgency, action, and resources, both nationally and globally, and this declaration of a public health emergency reflects the seriousness of the moment.”
“More than one in four monkeypox cases in this country are in New York State, and we need to utilize every tool in our arsenal as we respond,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement, addressing the emergency declaration.
The World Health Organization’s director declared the virus a global health emergency late last week.
As of Wednesday, over 20,000 cases of monkeypox had been detected globally in 77 countries. The U.S. currently has about 4,600 reported cases, USA TODAY reported.
As per the Guardian, the once-rare disease has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades but was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
To date, there have been more than 22,000 monkeypox cases reported in nearly 80 countries since May, with about 75 suspected deaths in Africa, mostly in Nigeria and Congo.
On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported deaths linked to monkeypox, the first reported outside Africa. Spain reported a second monkeypox death on Saturday.
