JAKARTA - United States authorities declared monkeypox a public health emergency, the Ministry of Health and Public Services said, a move expected to loosen additional funds and tools to fight the disease.
As of last Wednesday, Uncle Sam's country recorded around 6,600 cases of monkeypox, almost all of which occurred among men who have sex with other men.
"We are ready to take our response to the next level in tackling this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously," said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
The declaration will increase the availability of data on monkeypox infections needed for response, said US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, in a joint statement with Bacerra.
It is known, that the United States Government is under pressure to deal with the outbreak.
Monkeypox began to spread in Europe before moving to the United States, which now has the most cases in the world. Vaccines and treatments are limited, while the disease is often left to sexual health clinics, which have historically been underfunded to administer.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a "public health emergency of international concern," the highest level of alertness. The WHO declaration last month sought to trigger a coordinated international response and open up funding for collaboration on vaccines and treatments.
The government is deploying vaccines and treatments that were first approved for smallpox but also work for monkeypox. So far, the US Government has distributed 600,000 doses of the Jynneos Bavarian Nordic vaccine and deployed 14,000 Siga Technologies' TPOXX treatment, officials said, though they did not disclose how many had been administered.
Walensky himself said the government aims to vaccinate more than 1.6 million high-risk individuals.
Separately, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf said it was considering exempting more doses of Jynneos vaccine, allowing doctors to take 5 doses of vaccine from each vial, instead of the current 1 dose using the different subcutaneous inoculation method.
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Earlier, US President Joe Biden this month appointed two federal officials to coordinate his administration's response to monkeypox, following the declarations of a state of emergency by California, Illinois, and New York.
Meanwhile, Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser told Reuters on Thursday it was vital to involve leaders from the gay community as part of efforts to contain the outbreak, but warned against stigmatizing lifestyles.
"Community involvement has always proven successful," said Fauci.
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