The US administration declared a state of health emergency on Thursday amid the spread of monkeypox.
The announcement was made by Health Secretary Xavier Becerra during a meeting with journalists.
The official said the move allows the federal government to step up its response to the virus without the usual regulatory barriers.
“We are ready to take our response to the next level to fight this virus,” he said, urging all Americans to take monkeypox seriously, “take responsibility, and help us defeat the virus”.
Nearly 7,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States, according to health authorities.
According to The New York Times, the supply of the monkeypox vaccine, called Jynneos, has been severely limited and the Biden administration has been criticized for moving too slowly to increase the number of doses.
The declaration of a health emergency will not alleviate this shortage, but the administration might take measures to allow faster access to tecovirimat, the drug recommended to treat the disease, notes the large draw.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern.
“According to the WHO assessment, the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions except the European region, where we estimate the risk to be high,” said the director. general of the WHO.
With MAP
