THE Biden administration is expected to declare monkeypox a health emergency as cases continue to rise in the US, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
The latest update by the CDC brings the nation’s total cases to 5,189, just months after the first US case was detected.
By making the public health emergency designation, the Department of Health and Human Services could access new money and appoint more personnel to address the issue.
The declaration is expected at the end of the week, but the decision is not final, Politico reported.
The US confirmed its first case of monkeypox in a traveler who returned to Massachusetts from Canada on May 17.
New York has been struck the hardest with 1,228 confirmed cases, followed by California with 799, Illinois with 385, and Florida with 332.
Anyone can get the illness – more so if you have been in contact or had sexual contact with someone with symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance about how to identify monkeypox during the current outbreak, which was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization on Sunday.
Traditionally, people with monkeypox have developed a fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches and muscle aches.
The symptoms are followed by a rash that starts on their face or mouth and then spreads to other parts of their body – particularly the hands and feet.
