- On Thursday, the White House is expected to declare monkeypox a national public health emergency.
- The announcement comes 12 days after the WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak a global emergency.
- Vaccine supply is limited, and more than 6,600 cases have been confirmed.
On Thursday, the federal government is expected to declare the national outbreak of monkeypox — which has been spreading almost entirely among men who have sex with men — a public health emergency.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is expected to outline what such a declaration would entail at a briefing this afternoon, according to a report by Dan Diamond for the Washington Post.
As the Post, and subsequently The New York Times, reported, by designating monkeypox a public health emergency, the White House will be able to utilize emergency funds to fast-track testing, treatments, and vaccine shipments.
Since the first monkeypox case was diagnosed this year in mid-May, more than 6,610 cases have been confirmed. Many public health professionals believe that number is likely much higher.
Doctors at major medical centers in Miami and San Francisco say many more cases are going unreported because providers don't know how to recognize the signs of infection, and because some clinicians might be skittish to ask patients about their sexual history.
Monkeypox symptoms
The outbreak has taken experts by surprise, because people are presenting with a wide array of symptoms.
Some patients have pox in their genital area that are so painful it makes it difficult to go to the bathroom, while others may have barely any signs of infection at all, other than perhaps a single pimple-like pock. Other common symptoms include fevers, and swollen lymph nodes in the groin.