Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
International

US declares public health emergency over monkeypox

Darpan News Desk IANS, 05 Aug, 2022 11:05 AM
  • US declares public health emergency over monkeypox

Los Angeles, Aug 5 (IANS) The US government has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, more than a week after the World Health Organization qualified the outbreak as a global emergency.

"We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously," Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told reporters during a briefing on Thursday.

As of Thursday, the US has confirmed more than 6,600 cases of monkeypox, nearly 25 per cent of the global total of 25,800 so far, Xinhua news agency reported.

A public health emergency can trigger grant funding and open up more resources for various aspects of a federal response. It also allows the HHS secretary to enter into contracts for treatments and other necessary medical supplies and equipment, as well as support emergency hospital services, among other things.

New York, California and Illinois, the top three states in terms of confirmed monkeypox cases in the country, have already declared state of emergencies in response to the outbreak. Some cities, including New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles, have also made their own emergency declarations.

Despite Thursday's proclamation, HHS officials still hoped to prevent monkeypox from becoming endemic in the country.

"We continue to marshal forward the tools that we need to make sure that we can take on monkeypox and keep it from spreading to the point of becoming endemic," Becerra said Thursday, adding, "There should be no reason why we can't stay ahead of this if we all work together."

But some experts warned that the outbreak could not be contained only if the authority moved more quickly and effectively.

Gregg Gonsalves, an expert in policy modeling on infectious disease and substance use from Yale University, called Becerra "a liar" on his official twitter page on Wednesday after the HHS secretary touted the authority had "made vaccines, tests and treatments well beyond the numbers that are currently needed, available to all jurisdictions who manage their public health systems."

"Unfortunately, delayed actions mean monkeypox has spread within the gay community and among other men who have sex with men," David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, told the Guardian on Monday.

"This outbreak has grown to be a public health crisis in America. We are still in a very chaotic situation at the state and local level with an organized response," he said.

Advocates and lawmakers are calling for the Biden administration to remove barriers to access for TPOXX, which is FDA-approved for the treatment of human smallpox disease caused by variola virus in adults and children, to reduce the spread of monkeypox.

Currently, if a health care provider wants to try TPOXX for a monkeypox patient, they have to obtain special approval through the CDC and its "Investigational New Drug" programme.

MORE International ARTICLES

Rishi Sunak now bookmakers' favourite to become UK PM

Rishi Sunak now bookmakers' favourite to become UK PM
The vacancy was created when the incumbent Boris Johnson lost the confidence of his party MPs after a series of scandals, and resigned on Thursday. 11 candidate have since thrown their hats into the ring. Among them, Sunak, who chancellor of the exchequer before he resigned last Tuesday, and Suella Fernandes Braverman, who is of Goan descent and is still serving as caretaker attorney general.

Rishi Sunak now bookmakers' favourite to become UK PM

Indian-origin Ramesh Balwani found guilty of defrauding investors, patients in US

Indian-origin Ramesh Balwani found guilty of defrauding investors, patients in US
Balwani faced 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. After a three-month trial, a jury has found him guilty of all 12 counts. He now faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, The Verge reported late on Thursday.

Indian-origin Ramesh Balwani found guilty of defrauding investors, patients in US

Rishi Sunak bids to be UK Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak bids to be UK Prime Minister
But the public liking for him was dented when this year he introduced taxes to reduce the government's heavy borrowings. This was followed by controversy over his wife avoiding paying taxes in Britain and instead doing so at a lower rate in India from her dividends from shares in Infosys, the Bangalore-based software giant founded by her father N.R. Narayana Murthy.

Rishi Sunak bids to be UK Prime Minister

Boris Johnson quits as Conservative Party leader, to stay till new PM chosen

Boris Johnson quits as Conservative Party leader, to stay till new PM chosen
Addressing the media outside 10, Downing Street, the 58-year-old embattled British leader, who has faced controversies galore in his 1,079 days in power, said: "It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of the party and therefore a new Prime Minister."

Boris Johnson quits as Conservative Party leader, to stay till new PM chosen

Ex-Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shows no life signs after being shot, suspect arrested

Ex-Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shows no life signs after being shot, suspect arrested
According to state broadcaster NHK, the incident took place at around 11. 30 a.m. (local time) near the Yamatosaidaiji Station in Nara city while the 67-year-old former leader was making a speech for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate's election campaign.

Ex-Japanese PM Shinzo Abe shows no life signs after being shot, suspect arrested

Charges expected today in July 4 rooftop shooting

Charges expected today in July 4 rooftop shooting
Six people were killed and more than two dozen injured when shots rang out in the middle of a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill. Video clips posted to social media showed the festivities collapsing into panic as revellers realized they were under fire and scrambled for cover.

Charges expected today in July 4 rooftop shooting