Themonkeypox outbreakin the US is a public health emergency, the Department of Health and Human Services declared Thursday.
The World Health Organization in late July declared the monkeypox outbreak aglobal health emergency.
Pressure had been mounting on the Biden administration to do the same for the US.
Monkeypoxis a disease that’s similar to smallpox but typically much less severe.
There are nowmore than 7,000 known casesof monkeypox in the United States, with the outbreak still ongoing.
Vaccines that work against monkeypoxexist, as do some medications expected to be effective against the disease.
Monkeypox mostly spreads from very close contact, such from sexual activity or living with someone.
“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus,” Tedros said.
