New York City officials declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the Big Apple, saying it is the epicenter of the outbreak.
“Over the past few weeks, we have moved as quickly as possible to expand outreach and access to vaccines and treatment to keep people safe,” Mayor Eric Adams and Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement Saturday.
The declaration will allow the Health Department to take unspecified measures to help stop the spread of the illness.
Adams and Vasan said they were working to obtain more vaccine doses, saying some 150,000 New Yorkers may be at risk.
City officials have warned that gay and bisexual men who “have multiple or anonymous sex partners are at a high risk of exposure.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday night declared the disease outbreak a state disaster emergency with nearly 1,400 cases.
Also known as orthopoxvirus, the illness can be transmitted through bodily fluids or close bodily contact with the pus-filled lesions of a patient, as well as contact with respiratory secretions, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually clear up in a matter of weeks.
