LOS ANGELES: California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over monkeypox on Monday (Aug 1) in a move aimed at bolstering vaccination efforts to slow the spread of an outbreak that has infected more than 5,800 Americans.
California, the nation’s most populous state, has confirmed 827 monkeypox cases as of Monday, the second-largest state tally after the 1,390 infections documented in New York, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first case of monkeypox in the United States was confirmed in Massachusetts on May 20, with the first case in California, in a person who had t ravelledabroad, confirmed five days later.
Monkeypox, which spreads through close physical contact, tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions, though it is rarely fatal.
Newsom’s proclamation came nine days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency, the agency’s highest level of alert, over the rapidly spreading viral disease.
Around 70 countries where monkeypox is not already considered endemic have reported outbreaks, with global cases surpassing 22,100, according to a Reuters tally published on Monday. A WHO report from Jul 22 said only five monkeypox deaths had been reported worldwide, all of them in Africa.
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