New York City declares public health emergency over monkeypox

By Dildar Baykan Atalay

WASHINGTON (AA) - Authorities in New York City on Saturday declared a public health emergency over the rising monkeypox cases.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said in a joint statement that as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of infection.

“We will continue to work with our federal partners to secure more doses as soon as they become available,” Adams and Vasan said.

It came days after the New York state and San Francisco declared a state of emergency amid the spread of the virus.

“I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront the monkeypox outbreak,” New York Governor Hochul tweeted late Friday.

On Thursday, San Francisco declared a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.

The declaration “will allow us to prepare and dedicate resources to prevent the spread,” Mayor London Bread said on Twitter.

The cases in San Francisco have almost doubled in a week and reached 261, she said.

The western US state of California, where San Francisco city is located, accounts for almost 40% of nearly 5,000 cases confirmed in the country.

The World Health Organization last week declared a global health emergency over the ongoing monkeypox outbreak.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara