BY ZEKE MILLER, MIKE
STOBBE AND MICHAEL BALSAMO
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
U.S. will declare a public health emergency to bolster the federal response to
the outbreak of monkeypox that already has infected more than 6,600 Americans,
two people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The announcement will
free up federal funding and resources to fight the virus, which may cause
fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the
body. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.
The declaration comes as
the the Biden administration has faced criticism over the pace of vaccine
availability for monkeypox. Clinics in major cities like New York and San
Francisco say they haven’t received enough of the two-shot vaccine to meet
demand and some have had to stop offering the second dose of the vaccine to
ensure supply of first doses. The White House said it has made more than 1.1
million doses of vaccine available and has helped to boost domestic diagnostic capacity
to 80,000 tests per week.
The monkeypox virus
spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, including hugging,
cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. People
getting sick so far have been primarily men who have sex with men. But health
officials emphasize that the virus can infect anyone.
MONKEYPOX
Africa CDC says gay sex
‘not relevant’ in monkeypox there
Fake headline about
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falsehood that monkeypox can only affect gay men
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The announcement comes
three days after the Biden administration named top officials from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
to serve as the White House coordinators to combat the monkeypox outbreak.
News of the expected
declaration was first reported Thursday by Politico.