Health officials in New York have declared the current spread of monkeypox as a public health emergency after being coined “the epicentre” of infection in the US.
Mayor Eric Adams and health commissioner Ashwin Vasan made an announcement this weekend as 150,000 city residents are believed to be at risk of infection.
This means that US officials will now be in a position to issue emergency orders under the city health code and to implement measures should they feel the need to try and halt the spread.
READ MORE: Second Spanish monkeypox death within days as public warned of most common symptoms
In the last two days, the state health department has also called monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health”.
New York had recorded 1,345 cases up to Friday, according to data compiled by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We will continue to work with our federal partners to secure more doses as soon as they become available,” Mr Adams and Mr 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 World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a global health emergency back on July 23 as more and more cases began to be reported across Europe, North America and elsewhere.
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 of this year.
To date, there have been more than 22,000 monkeypox cases reported in nearly 80 countries, with about 75 suspected deaths in Africa.
On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported deaths linked to monkeypox, which were the first reported outside of Africa - Spain reported a second monkeypox death on Saturday, July 30.
According to experts, the virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact as well as sharing bedding, towels, and clothing.
In Europe and North America, it has spread primarily among gay and bisexual men as well as other men who have sex with men, though health officials continue to warn that the virus can infect anyone.
The type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak is rarely fatal, and people usually recover within weeks. But the lesions and blisters caused by the virus are painful.
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