HOUSTON, Texas
New York Mayor Eric Adams issued a state of emergency warning Monday as a monkeypox outbreak continues to infiltrate the largest city in the United States.
“New York City now has more than 1,200 reported cases, about 25 percent of cases nationwide, and we continue to see the numbers rise,” Adams said in a statement.
With more than 5,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox across the US, New York is now a hotbed of monkeypox, while city health officials estimate that as many as 150,000 residents could be at risk of infection.
“This alert will enhance our existing efforts to educate, vaccinate, test, and treat as many New Yorkers as possible and ensure a whole government response to this outbreak,” Adams continued.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order over the weekend declaring the monkeypox outbreak a statewide disaster.
However, the New York City emergency executive order allows Adams “to suspend local laws, and enforce rules, if necessary, to protect the welfare and health of all New Yorkers” and “protect public health and slow the spread.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency on July 23. Since May, there have been more than 20,000 cases of the virus reported in nearly 80 countries.
The US Department of Health and Human Services announced over the weekend that more than 1.1 million doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine have been administered to the states most in need and that 60,000 to 80,000 monkeypox tests can be performed in the US per week.
Health officials say monkeypox is mostly spread through male-to-male sexual contact and can be spread through skin-to-skin contact, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing.
Symptoms of the virus include rash, malaise, fever, and swollen lymph nodes, in addition to chills, headache, and muscle aches.
The federal government has purchased an additional 5.5 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which will be ready for distribution in 2023.
The US also has access to another 11.1 million doses of the vaccine if needed to fight monkeypox outbreaks.
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