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California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a state of emergency on Monday to tackle the state’s escalating monkeypox infections.
Following New York and Illinois, California has declared a statewide emergency due to the disease.
A statewide emergency declaration, according to Governor Newsom, would assist coordinate a stronger response to monkeypox, promote awareness, and secure additional vaccines.
“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. “We are leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing, and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment, and outreach.”
“We will continue to work with the federal government to acquire more vaccines, raise awareness about risk reduction, and battle stigmatisation in the LGBTQ community,” Governor Newsom continued.
San Francisco became the first major US city to declare a local emergency due to a monkeypox outbreak last week.
“During COVID, San Francisco demonstrated the need of quick action in defending public health… We know that this virus affects everyone equally, but we also know that members of our LGBTQ community are more vulnerable right now “Mayor London Breed issued a statement.
California has documented 827 monkeypox cases so far, the second most in the US after New York. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, the total number of cases in the country is 5,811.
