The United States declared a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak on Thursday, a move that is expected to free up funds, facilitate data collection and deploy more personnel to fight the disease. “We are ready to step up our response to the virus and we call on all Americans to take monkeypox seriously and do what is necessary to help us fight the virus,” said the Secretary of State. Health Xavier Becerra.
About 6,600 cases in the United States, including a quarter in New York State
The declaration, in effect for 90 days and which can be renewed, comes when the number of cases recorded in the United States exceeded Thursday 6,600, of which about a quarter in the state of New York alone. Experts fear that the real figure is much higher, however, due to sometimes very discreet symptoms, including simple lesions.
The federal state provided around 600,000 doses of the vaccine, marketed under the name of Jynneos in North America, Imvanex in Europe and initially developed for smallpox. But that number is still a far cry from the roughly 1.6 million people considered to be at high risk in the country. The Department of Health said last week that 99% of the cases recorded in the United States concern men who have sex with men. This population is the priority target for vaccination.
A disease that is transmitted mainly through sexual intercourse
Unlike previous waves in Africa, this new epidemic of monkeypox is transmitted mainly by sexual intercourse, but the American health authorities (CDC) indicate that other routes are possible, in particular by sharing a bed, clothes and prolonged face-to-face contact. The World Health Organization (WHO) had triggered its highest level of alert at the end of July in order to strengthen the fight against monkeypox.
On Thursday, the American drug agency, the FDA, for its part said it was studying the possibility of authorizing caregivers to administer five doses of vaccine from a single one by modifying the way in which it is injected. The first symptoms of monkeypox are a high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a chickenpox-like rash.