New York City Governor-The Monkeypox Virus, A State Disaster Emergency

A public health emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus has been declared in New York City on Saturday.

The announcement was made by Mayor Eric Adams and health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, calling the city “the epicenter” of the outbreak. 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 in the statement. “This outbreak must be met with urgency, action, and resources, both nationally and globally, and this declaration of a public health emergency reflects the seriousness of the moment.”

The virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. 

The Governor of New York City, Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency declaration and the state health department called monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health.”

With the declaration, officials will be allowed to issue emergency orders under the city health code and amend code provisions to implement measures to help slow the spread.

As at Friday, New York had recorded 1,345 cases of the disease. California is the second worst hit with 799 cases. This is according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

San Francisco’s mayor on Thursday announced a state of emergency over the growing number of cases.

The once-rare disease has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades but was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global health emergency on July 23.

To date, there have been more than 22,000 monkeypox cases reported in nearly 80 countries since May, with about 75 suspected deaths in Africa, mostly in Nigeria and Congo. 

On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported deaths linked to monkeypox, the first reported outside Africa. Spain reported a second monkeypox death Saturday.