Biden administration declares monkeypox a public health emergency

The monkeypox outbreak is a public health emergency in the United States, Xavier Becerra, the secretary of health and human services, said today. The disease has been spreading in the US since May, and cases have been rising around the world.

“We urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,” he said in a press briefing today.

The decision to declare a public health emergency follows the World Health Organization’s declaration in late July that monkeypox is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. A number of states, including New York and California, have also declared health emergencies.

A public health emergency opens up funding for disease response and could help accelerate access to existing treatments for the...

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