Throughout New York City, cases of monkeypox are rapidly on the rise which has pushed officials to call for a public health emergency as of this past Saturday while estimating that well over 150,000 NYC residents are at very high risk of possible exposure.
This emergency declaration from the state immediately went into effect and has given the power to the health department for the state to issue orders directly under the New York City Health Code and access more resources and money in order to “slow the spread” of the virus. The Department of Health for New York issued a report that just over 1,383 cases as of July 29th. Of that number of cases, New York City, by itself, covers a total of 1,289 cases.
“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,” explained Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the head of the New York City health and mental hygiene department, along with Mayor Eric Adams via a joint statement.
Just two days prior, an executive order was sent out from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, that declared a State Disaster Emergency as a response to the insane outbreak.
“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,” stated Hochul. “It’s especially important to recognize the ways in which this outbreak is currently having a disproportionate impact on certain at-risk groups.”
It has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the U.S. has reported at least 5,189 cases of monkeypox, which is spread via skin-to-skin contact or extended face-to-face contact, kissing, hugging, and sexual intercourse. The symptoms of this horrid disease include headache, fever, sore throat, cough, and nasal congestion. The disease is also known to cause a large painful rash that turns into blisters.
While monkeypox is not spread only via sexual contact, the disease seems to have infected gay men at a much higher rate than any other current demographic.
It is still up in the air as to whether or not the administration of Old Uncle Joe will declare monkeypox a national public health emergency in the coming days, as reported by Politico. The announcement would be handed down by the Department of Health and Human Services and issue the federal agency the power to get new money and bring on more personnel.
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