US declares monkeypox national health emergency

The United States government declared this Thursday (4th) a national health emergency due to the monkeypox outbreak in the country, in which thousands of infections have already been recorded although, so far, no deaths.

“We are prepared to take our response to the next level,” US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a phone conversation with journalists.

The statement will allow that national agencies have access to emergency funds and will facilitate the management of vaccines and treatments for the disease.

It will also promote awareness and information efforts that, according to the authorities, are essential to contain infections , which are advancing rapidly in the country.

“We encourage all Americans to take monkeypox seriously and take responsibility for helping us deal with this virus,” added the Secretary of Health.

Earlier this week, the White House announced the creation of a response group to deal with the spread of monkeypox, after being criticized for being slow to buy vaccines and treatments.

Last week, health authorities announced that more than 1 million vaccines against the disease would be made available to the states in the coming days, of which 600 thousand have already been delivered, according to Becerra.

In addition, they expect to receive another 150 thousand doses in September and additional vaccines in October and November.

Currently, the country has more than 6,500 monkeypox infections, a number much higher than the 4,600 registered last week.

The national emergency declaration will also force states to share health information about monkeypox with federal authorities, which will speed up the emergency response, explained the director of the Center for Control and Prevention. (CDC), Rochelle Walensky.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared an international emergency. health sector due to the outbreak two weeks ago, after more than 16 thousand cases were detected in 75 countries.

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