Monkeypox

The appointment of Robert Fenton, a veteran emergency response official, came as New York, California and Illinois declared states of emergency.

The appointments of Mr. Fenton and Dr. Daskalakis came a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency to help address the monkeypox outbreak there. Last week, with monkeypox cases on the rise and the vaccine still in scarce supply, Mr. Becerra announced an “enhanced strategy” to protect those at risk from the outbreak. He described Dr. Daskalakis as an “excellent physician and epidemiologist” who “has the trust of so many in the gay and trans community.” Dr. Nuzzo warned that there was likely to be “spillover” from the gay population to other groups, and possibly deaths in the United States from monkeypox. Until now, the response has been coordinated largely by Dr. Raj Panjabi, the director for global health security and biodefense on the National Security Council, whose responsibilities include guarding against infectious disease threats. “Every single one of my friends who has gotten monkeypox now attempted to get vaccinated in late May or early June,” Mr. Krellenstein said, adding that he knew a dozen people who were infected. One of the main criticisms of the administration’s response so far is that it failed to order enough vaccine, and to distribute it quickly, before many gay men were infected during Pride celebrations in June. And while the federal government purchased vast quantities of raw vaccine product, it has yet to be filled into vials. Mr. Biden’s decision to run the response from the White House comes amid growing criticism from public health experts that his administration has been slow to recognize the seriousness of the outbreak, and was not prepared to address it adequately. The first U.S. cases of the current monkeypox outbreak emerged in May. The disease, characterized by fever, muscle aches, chills and lesions, is rarely fatal in countries like the United States, where it has not caused frequent outbreaks.. The president picked Robert Fenton, a regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and twice its acting head, to serve as the White House monkeypox coordinator. A doctor and gay activist, he once set up an impromptu vaccination clinic at an after-hours sex club in New York to protect gay men against meningitis.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency on Monday in response to the increase of monkeypox cases in the state.

"Governor Newsom and our California Department of Public Health have put us in a position of strength when it comes to addressing monkeypox outbreaks by declaring an emergency," he said. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency on Monday in response to the increase of monkeypox cases in the state. People can sign up to receive messages by texting COSD MONKEYPOX to 468-311.

Today, President Biden named FEMA's Robert Fenton as the White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis as the White House.

Prior to joining the CDC, Dr. Daskalakis served as New York City Department of Health’s Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Disease Control. In that role, Dr. Daskalakis oversaw many of New York City’s HIV and STD education and response programs, which helped drive HIV incidence to an historic low and also served as Incident Commander during the COVID-19 and Measles outbreaks. Robert Fenton currently serves as Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 9 in the American West, with nearly 50 million people in his area of responsibility. Both played critical roles in making COVID vaccines more accessible for underserved communities and closing the equity gap in adult vaccination rates, through the implementation and execution of FEMA mass vaccination sites in some of the country’s most underserved communities, and working with trusted members of local communities to build vaccine confidence. He has over 25 years’ experience in Federal emergency response, including serving twice as Acting Administrator of FEMA, most recently during the first months of the Biden-Harris Administration. As Acting Administrator during at the beginning of the Biden Administration, Fenton oversaw FEMA’s mass vaccination operations, bringing vaccination sites to some of the country’s most underserved communities. Dr. Daskalakis worked in the CDC COVID-19 response as a lead in health equity as well as the head of the vaccine task force. Demetre Daskalakis, a leading public health expert, is currently Director of the CDC Division of HIV Prevention. Widely known as a national expert on health issues affecting the LGBGQIA+ communities, his clinical practice has focused on providing care for the underserved LGBTQIA+ communities.

Health officials said they're waiting for additional testing from the CDC to confirm the infection, adding the child was symptomatic but has since ...

Monkeypox cases in L.A. County rose to 423 on Tuesday, up more than 80% from a week prior, according to the county health department’s count of confirmed and probable cases. Ferrer said Tuesday that the federal government recently allotted L.A. County an additional 48,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which will be sent in three shipments, the first of which arrived over the weekend. Health officials and LGBTQ activists have for weeks raised concerns over the number of available vaccines, which has limited who can access the preventative and post-exposure inoculations. “Even if we took everybody who was just at this higher risk, we don’t have enough doses for everybody in that group,” Ferrer said. Los Angeles County and San Francisco, though, far lead the state in cases, making up almost two-thirds of California’s more than 1,100 infections. The day before, California declared a state of emergency because of the virus. Long Beach health officials, who said they’re waiting for additional testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the infection, added that the child was symptomatic but has since recovered. “I don’t think it’s impossible.” “This is a serious health issue that deserves support and swift action,” Mitchell said. People need only to self-attest that they meet these requirements through online registration. Earlier in the day, L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly J. Mitchell introduced a proclamation declaring a local emergency over the rising cases of monkeypox. “The proclamation of local emergency is to help our county do all that we can to get ahead and stay ahead of this virus.”

California and Illinois became the latest states to declare the disease a health emergency on Monday as the U.S. approached 6000 cases.

The federal government has been attempting to boost vaccination efforts as cities and states across the country have complained of limited supply. At least five people in Africa have died this year from the disease, while four deaths have been reported in countries that have not previously experienced outbreaks, including India, Spain and Brazil. That’s how many confirmed cases of monkeypox and orthopoxvirus—the family of viruses that monkeypox belongs to—the U.S. had as of August 1 since the current outbreak began in early May, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency has confirmed monkeypox cases in every state except Montana and Wyoming. The decisions come after New York—the epicenter of the monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. with 1,390 cases as of August 1—became the first state to declare a disaster emergency last Friday, with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) pledging to use “every tool in our arsenal” to tackle the outbreak. Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) Monday declared a state of emergency to help “bolster the state’s vaccination efforts” and coordinate a “whole-of-government response” to monkeypox as the state had 827 confirmed cases as of August 1. California and Illinois became the latest governments to declare monkeypox a public health emergency on Monday, following in the footsteps of several cities and New York state, while President Joe Biden named a new White House coordinator for monkeypox as the U.S. struggles to contain a spike in infections.

Three states have now issued emergency declarations in the past week, as have New York City and San Francisco.

On Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois followed suit, calling monkeypox “a rare but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources.” Men who have sex with men have so far made up about 99 percent of the confirmed cases. The virus spreads primarily via prolonged physical contact, but it can also be transmitted via shared linens and clothing, health officials say. 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 declared monkeypox a global health emergency. Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox, but symptoms are less severe.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a state of emergency, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

New Mexico: 10 Missouri: 10 The virus is spread through close, physical contact. Iowa: 10 Hawaii: 10 But, “we are considering every policy option to help end this outbreak,” she said.

Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in California, according to state public health officials.

They, in turn, faulted the federal government for failing to deliver enough vaccines. I heard the lesions are painful and leave scarring. The White House announced Tuesday that the president has tapped Robert Fenton, who helped lead FEMA's mass vaccination effort against COVID-19 as the agency's acting administrator when Mr. Biden first took office, as the White House coordinator. And I honestly just don't want the lesions on my body. "The fact is that monkeypox is primarily spread by skin to skin contact and sharing objects like bedding or towels, without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity." The type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak is rarely fatal, and people usually recover within weeks. The declaration will also help coordinate the state response with the federal government. "We don't have any time to waste," Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. The city received about 4,000 doses on Friday, enabling it to restart vaccinations, and hopes to administer them by mid-week, said Dr. Lukejohn Day, chief medical officer at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. That's similar to a recent law that allows pharmacists to administer vaccines, Newsom's administration said. "I think the science shows that protection is greatly improved with the vaccine. People getting sick so far have mainly been men who have sex with men, though health officials note that the virus can infect anyone.

The Salt Lake County Health Department will host a walk-in monkeypox vaccination clinic Saturday for those currently most at risk for the virus, ...

The county health department early Tuesday also made about 200 first doses of the two-dose vaccine available via appointment. Anyone can catch monkeypox, but to date, it is largely spreading — both nationally and locally — among men who have sex with men. As of Monday evening, 30 confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox had been reported in Salt Lake County, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. But by the afternoon, all slots had been filled, officials reported. According to the county, the criteria for monkeypox vaccine eligibility may change if more doses become available or if cases are more frequently identified in other populations. No appointments are necessary for the clinic, but both walk-ins and scheduled appointments are only available to those who meet all of the following criteria, according to the county health department:

The limited supply of monkeypox vaccines in the US has led to hours-long waits and lines that stretch for blocks, according to officials with state and ...

And this is a public health failure that follows Covid and the various earliest days of HIV in this country. This is contrary to the comments made by Secretary Becerra last week, when he seemed to appear to blame the states and the cities for not responding adequately," he said. Harvey was specifically critical of Becerra, who said at a news conference last week that "everybody's got to take the oar and row. Managing monkeypox is similar to the earliest days of HIV and Covid-19, he said. Bottom line is, we need to stay ahead of it and be able to end this outbreak." The CDC estimates that about 1.5 million people are eligible for the vaccine, but as of Thursday "States and localities really have been left to respond to many aspects of this outbreak on their own. The agency says it has worked with the umbrella organization for local Pride committees to raise awareness. "This is unacceptable and completely preventible," TerMeer said. A moment where we have been abandoned by inaction," Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said Tuesday. Absolutely." Another man told Baskerville that he is facing eviction.

With monkeypox cases continuing to spread in the Chicago area and the outbreak now declared a public emergency in Illinois, what symptoms should you watch ...

"It is not by bumping up against somebody, being in the same room as somebody, sharing a seat with somebody.” Additionally, those who received money in exchange for sex or have had sex with anonymous partners are eligible. "Based on everything we know now, monkeypox is not spread through casual conversations, or by walking by someone with monkeypox like you might in a grocery store," Arwady said. "We're doing everything we can to prioritize vaccinations for those most at risk, but the truth is, given the very limited national supply... Experts suspect the monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America were spread via sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain. “I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views." Currently, you are eligible for the two-dose vaccine if you have had close physical contact with a confirmed case or if you're a man who has had sex with another man and have done so in a social or sexual venue. "Avoid close contact (including intimate physical contact) with others until a healthcare provider examines you." “The way it typically seems to happen is that there is a lesion and it bursts or its opened up and it gets into a scratch or something one can’t even see but a crack in the skin," she said. According to the CDC, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo. Illinois has reported more than 530 cases in the state so far and on Monday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared monkeypox a public health emergency, classifying the state as a "disaster area" in regards to the disease. With monkeypox cases continuing to spread in the Chicago area and the outbreak now declared a public emergency in Illinois, what symptoms should you watch for if you think you may have been exposed?

The county only has about 250 vaccines left, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Harris county needs a substantial increase in the number of monkeypox vaccines, and we need those vaccines now.” The county only has 250 vaccines left for individuals, and that’s only because of the strict criteria the county has, she said. We’re controlling what we can control as far as what the community can do.”

Biden named officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the White House ...

“Bob’s experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetre’s vast knowledge of our public health systems’ strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the decision would be up to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Still, the Biden administration has faced criticism over the pace of vaccine availability for monkeypox. The virus may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. The White House said Biden announced Tuesday that he has tapped Robert Fenton, who helped lead FEMA’s mass vaccination effort for COVID-19 as the agency’s acting administrator when Biden first took office, as the White House coordinator.

“We have been coordinating with our healthcare partners who are managing cases of monkeypox infections,” said PPHD Director and Health Officer Dr. Ying-Ying Goh ...

- Persons who attended an event/venue where there was high risk of exposure to an individual(s) with confirmed monkeypox virus through skin-to-skin or sexual contact. If lesions are characteristic for monkeypox, monkeypox should be considered even in the absence of known travel or exposure. For any questions about monkeypox or if you are concerned about your symptoms, speak to your primary care provider. PPHD is providing monkeypox vaccines by invitation only to the following select groups of persons identified through public health investigation, including: People usually develop monkeypox 7 to 14 days (and up to 21 days) after being exposed. All cases being reported have been confirmed by PPHD to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition for either a probable or confirmed case. Although monkeypox is not generally considered a sexually transmitted infection, it can be transmitted during sex through skin-to-skin and other intimate contact, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. PPHD is following up directly with those who have had close contact with these individuals and may be at risk for infection. Most people with monkeypox have a mild illness that improves without treatment over 2 to 4 weeks. Monkeypox is NOT spread through casual brief conversations or walking by someone (like in a grocery store). Monkeypox is a viral infection that can spread through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with fluids from sores of a person with monkeypox. PASADENA, Calif.— Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) has received reports of the first cases of monkeypox infection in four (4) Pasadena residents.

So far, all those who tested positive for the infection in India have been in young men. On Tuesday, a woman suspected to have been infected was admitted to ...

📣 The above article is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. “Eight cases (of monkeypox) have been detected in the country so far, of whom five have a history of foreign travel. Any institute and scientist interested will be given the isolated virus so that they can conduct the research and develop the vaccine within the country.” Whatever Covid-19 taught us, we are implementing the best practices for monkeypox,” Mandaviya said in Rajya Sabha. “Monkeypox is close to smallpox, and there was research conducted for smallpox vaccine. It is not restricted to a specific community.

President Joe Biden has appointed two top federal officials to coordinate his administration's response to monkeypox, the White House said on Tuesday, ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The pair will coordinate Biden's response "including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments," the White House said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Aug. 2, 2022 – The monkeypox outbreak has led officials in states and cities to declare public health emergencies. California and Illinois declared such ...

“We will continue to work with our federal partners to secure more doses as soon as they become available,” they said. Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide disaster emergency, which expands the pool of people who can give monkeypox vaccines to include emergency medical personnel, pharmacists, and midwives. “It’s especially important to recognize the ways in which this outbreak is currently having a disproportionate impact on certain at-risk groups.” “We have seen this virus disproportionately impact the LGBTQ+ community in its initial spread,” he said. The emergency declarations line up with the highest cases numbers in the country, according to the latest CDC data. The 30-day order also allows the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to expand vaccination and testing.