This article was originally published on Contagionlive.com. US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra has declared a nationwide public health emergency for monkeypox. “In light of the evolving conditions on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency for #Mimkeypox. We are ready to take our response to the next level to address this virus. We urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,” Becerra tweeted on August 4. The statement mobilizes the response and opens up federal funding to fight the virus. As of yesterday, there were 6,617 confirmed cases with California and New York having the most cases. Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak. This comes on the heels of San Francisco and New York City declaring states of emergency along with New York State declaring monkeypox an “imminent public health threat” last week. Shortly before that, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a “global health emergency.” US federal agencies have vaccines and treatments available. For example, the CDC and FDA have developed a process to help clinicians secure an antiviral therapy, tecovirimat (Tpoxx), to treat patients with monkeypox. This falls under Expanded Access Investigational New Drug (EA-IND). Clinicians can start the process to secure tecovirimat by going here. Tecovirimat is manufactured by SIGA Technologies and is approved for smallpox and is being studied for the treatment of monkeypox. Infection Control Today® (ICT®) sister publication Contagion Live spoke with SIGA Technologies Chief Scientific Officer Dennis Hruby, PhD, recently about the treatment. The federal government has also sent vaccines to prevent the spread of monkeypox. At this time, it has been reported that only people who have close personal contacts with people infected with the virus are eligible to access the vaccines. ICT® details monkeypox, what it is and how it is transmitted, here.
