New York City declares public health emergency over monkeypox
Bernama
July 31, 2022 17:17 MYT
July 31, 2022 17:17 MYT
Healthcare workers with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene help people register for the monkeypox vaccine at one of the City's vaccination sites, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. - AP
WASHINGTON: Authorities in New York City on Saturday declared a public health emergency over the rising monkeypox cases, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said in a joint statement that as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of infection.
"We will continue to work with our federal partners to secure more doses as soon as they become available," Adams and Vasan said.
It came days after the New York state and San Francisco declared a state of emergency amid the spread of the virus.
"I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront the monkeypox outbreak," New York Governor Hochul tweeted late Friday.
On Thursday, San Francisco declared a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.
The declaration "will allow us to prepare and dedicate resources to prevent the spread," Mayor London Bread said on Twitter.
The cases in San Francisco have almost doubled in a week and reached 261, she said.
The western US state of California, where San Francisco city is located, accounts for almost 40 per cent of nearly 5,000 cases confirmed in the country.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week declared a global health emergency over the ongoing monkeypox outbreak.
-- BERNAMA