New York City declared a state of emergency for being the epicenter of the monkeypox outbreak, estimating that about 150,000 residents are at risk of exposure to the virus.
According to State Governor Kathy Hochul, the declaration is effective immediately and will allow the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to amend the Health Code to provide measures to help slow the spread of the virus.
DOHMH Commissioner Ashwin Vasan confirmed that New York has recorded 1,100 cases of monkeypox.
The majority of carriers of the virus are men and a large part of these belong to the community gay. However, experts insist that the virus can spread to the rest of the population. In fact, the disease has been detected in almost 80 countries since last May, with nearly 22,000 cases.
The San Francisco government also declared a state of emergency on June 28 due to “rapidly increasing cases” and high demand for the vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States determined that the JYNNEOS vaccine, specific against this disease, be offered as a priority to all risk groups. These include people who have had close physical contact with an infected person, an infected sexual partner, or people who have had sexual intercourse in a location where a monkeypox outbreak has been identified.