New Public Health Emergency (PHE) for Monkeypox Declared
As the number of monkeypox cases continue to rise, The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency (PHE) on August 4, 2022, in an effort to heighten awareness and provide flexibility and funding to fight the virus’s spread. The announcement comes directly after appointment of the White House national monkeypox response coordinator and the White House national monkeypox response deputy coordinator.
“In recent days, it’s become clear to all of us that given the continued spread of the virus, we’re at a critical inflection point, dictating the need for additional solutions to address the rise in infection rates,” US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said. “The goal has always been to vaccinate as many people as possible.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a PHE in July over international concern, and recommended governments take action to strengthen and coordinate the global response to the monkeypox outbreak.
At this time, it is not known whether there will be any associated waivers or provisions with this PHE. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
