Monkeypox Outbreak Declared a State Disaster in New York

Monkeypox cases have been on the rise across the US. Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, declared it a state disaster emergency as the authorities are fighting against time to get citizens vaccinated.

New York has become the epicenter of the outbreak in the USA, with the daily count reaching as high as 1,400 cases. In the emergency declaration, Hochul said, “more than one in four monkeypox cases in the country are in New York State, and we need to utilize every tool in our arsenal as we respond”.

Only last week the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global health emergency. Across the world, over 20,000 cases have been reported from 77 countries. The USA Today reported that the USA accounts for 4,600 of these cases, and it’s rising rapidly every day.

The authorities have taken some steps to curb the virus. It has extended the pool of eligible individuals who can be administered the vaccine to include EMS personnel, pharmacists, and midwives. Even physicians and certified nurse practitioners can issue non-patient-specific standing orders for vaccines. Furthermore, the vaccine providers are required to send vaccine data to the health department regularly.

Vaccines

As of Friday, more than 780K doses of vaccine are available. Much like New York, San Francisco has also declared a state emergency due to monkeypox.

Mayor London Breed said, “we are in desperate need of vaccines to support the people of San Francisco”.

Federal health officials are still debating over whether they should declare monkeypox a public health emergency. However, doing so will enable the supply of more resources which will be a good thing.

While the federal government struggled initially with the supply of vaccines to the states, the supply increased in the last few weeks, and about 780,000 doses were distributed nationally.

While 11,000 doses went to New York, 30,000 went outside New York state. The available appointment shots were booked quickly, leading to a huge rush in clinics in New York. Several upstate counties also faced shortages and overwhelming demand for monkeypox vaccines.

For those who do not know- Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not cause too much illness, but when it does, the result has often been hospitalization and even death.
The most common way the virus spreads is through close contact between humans. State officials say that this means anybody can get monkeypox. It’s almost like the coronavirus in that way.

However, data shows that certain populations contract the virus much faster than others. This includes men who have sex with men (MSM). In general, social circles where individuals have multiple sexual partners have more of a risk of being diagnosed with monkeypox.

Some individuals might also be immuno-compromised due to various other illnesses. Contracting the monkeypox virus as well can have fatal consequences. Such groups include the elderly population, children under 8 years of age, pregnant individuals, and so on.

The State has, however, made arrangements for people who do not have a vaccine provider. They can simply dial 311 or search the NYC Health Map to find the nearest clinic. Authorities have also warned that the best way to avoid contracting the virus is to stay away from close contact with people, especially through sex which accounts for intimate contact.

Any symptom that is observed must be immediately reported to a doctor or a specialist and quarantining is the best way to go about it. This will prevent others from contracting the virus.