Public health emergency declared in San Diego over monkeypox

Two days after California Governor. Two days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency in public health over monkeypox on Monday, San Diego County followed suit. 

According to Dr. Wilma Wooten from San Diego County, this declaration was made because of the scarcity of vaccines, large city population, and global spread of the virus. But, officials from health said that the outbreak was fundamentally different to the COVID-19 epidemic. 

According to the Times of San Diego, Nathan Fletcher (San Diego County Supervisor) said that monkeypox’s situation is fundamentally different. It is something we take very seriously. However, it is exponentially less transmissible. It is more well-known. A vaccine is also available at the beginning of the disease.”

Fletcher said that monkeypox epidemics are currently disproportionately affecting our LGBTQ community. However, we know it can spread and affect other communities. “It is essential that we don’t stigmatize individuals, that our community doesn’t stigmatize, and that we don’t cast any aspersions.”

WHO DELIVERS MONKEYPOX AS A GLOBAL EMERGENCY IN HEALTH?

There are 46 confirmed cases of monkeypox currently in the county. All of them are men. 39 of these people identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community. There have been no deaths or hospitalizations. Fletcher said that the most difficult part of finding the monkeypox vaccine is finding it. Up to now, the county has received 3987 vaccine doses. 2,454 have been administered.

The county can now declare a state of health emergency and use the additional authority it has to distribute more vaccines. It can also trace contacts more effectively and make testing more accessible to the public. According to health officials, 66,000 people are considered high-risk for contracting the disease in the county.

The San Diego Board of Supervisors will have to ratify this declaration within a week. It will also have to vote for its extension at the least once every 30 day. The county will start providing daily official infection numbers starting Wednesday. 

MONKEYPOX – FACTS ABOUT A RARE VIRUS SPREADING NOW

The county will also offer resources to the public for information regarding the outbreak via text. Residents will receive real-time updates about monkeypox, as well as information on available health services. 

The World Health Organization states that monkeypox, which is a rare viral disease, is part of the same family as smallpox. It causes fever, swelling in the lymph nodes, and blisters that dry out the skin. Although mild symptoms may occur, the ability to transmit the virus is unknown. These symptoms generally last between 2-4 weeks from the time of initial exposure.