(Fox News) Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday said he was declaring a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.
“In light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency on #monkeypox,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.”
In light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency on #monkeypox. We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus. We urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.
— Secretary Xavier Becerra (@SecBecerra) August 4, 2022
Later Thursday, President Biden tweeted he remained “committed to our monkeypox response: ramping-up vaccine distribution, expanding testing, and educating at-risk communities.”
“That’s why today’s public health emergency declaration on the virus is critical to confronting this outbreak with the urgency it warrants,” Biden said.
I remain committed to our monkeypox response: ramping-up vaccine distribution, expanding testing, and educating at-risk communities.
That’s why today’s public health emergency declaration on the virus is critical to confronting this outbreak with the urgency it warrants.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 4, 2022
The monkeypox outbreak has infected more than 6,600 Americans. The emergency declaration frees up federal money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. A public health emergency can be extended, similar to what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks during a news conference at the department’s headquarters in Washington on June 28, 2022. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million vaccine doses available and helped boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week.
