Washington D.C, United States of America (USA)- With the country now having close to 7 000 confirmed monkeypox cases, the White House is set to declare monkeypox a public health emergency.
The declaration would signal that the outbreak now represents a significant threat to Americans and would give Federal agencies the power to expedite vaccines and drugs, access emergency funding and hire additional workers to help manage the outbreak.
Access to vaccines has been a consistent problem as the number of US monkeypox cases has risen. States and cities including New York and San Francisco have already issued declarations of emergency.
The virus is transmitted mostly during close physical contact, the infection is rarely fatal but no deaths have been reported as of yet but can be very painful. The US has among the highest rates in the world, and the number is expected to rise as surveillance and testing improve.
It was discovered in 1958 after outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research. The virus was primarily found in parts of Central and West Africa, but in recent weeks it has spread to dozens of countries and infected tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly men who have sex with men. On July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency.
People who get sick commonly experience a fever, headache, back and muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. A few days after getting a fever, most people also develop a rash that starts with flat red marks that become raised and filled with pus. On average, symptoms appear within six to 13 days of exposure but can take up to three weeks.
There is no way to test for monkeypox if you have only flulike symptoms, but if you start to notice red lesions, you should contact an urgent care center or your primary care physician, who can order a monkeypox test. Isolate at home as soon as you develop symptoms, and wear high-quality masks if you must come in contact with others for medical care.
If you get sick, the treatment for monkeypox generally involves symptom management. Tecovirimat, an antiviral drug also known as TPOXX, occasionally can be used for severe cases. The Jynneos vaccine, which protects against smallpox and monkeypox, can also help reduce symptoms, even if taken after exposure.
News of the White House’s plans was first reported by the Washington Post.
