Monkeypox declared public health emergency by federal health officials, while Virginia’s response remains unclear

Federal health officials declared monkeypox a public health emergency as cases for the skin virus jumped by nearly 2,000 over the last week.

“We’re prepared to take our response to the next level,” said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during a call with media Thursday.

The public health emergency declaration provides easier access to resources, potential deployment of personnel and increased access to care as well as expedites access to data sharing of testing and hospitalizations.

The officials, who were from various departments including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, spoke about the increased testing and treatments that have been made available as the health workers try and stem the virus.

“We’re at a critical inflection point,” said Robert Califf, FDA commissioner.

There are now roughly 6,600 reported cases of monkeypox in the U.S. with 105 cases in Virginia, according to the federal officials and CDC data. Last week, there were roughly 4,700 cases and 39 in Virginia, according to CDC data.

Monkeypox is spread through skin on skin contact and those most at risk are men who have sex with men. It is not sexually transmitted, but can be transmitted through sexual contact. As of last week, over 99% of the nation’s monkeypox patients are men and the “vast majority” reported male-to-male sexual contact, according to a CDC staff member.

The most common symptoms of monkeypox are rash followed by malaise or tiredness, fever and swollen lymph nodes. Other symptoms include chills, headache and muscle pain, according to health workers.

The federal officials estimate there are 1.6 million to 1.7 million Americans who are in the highest risk group for getting monkeypox and that population is being focused on so the virus’ spread can be stopped, according to Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC.

Testing and education are key to making sure those who may have the virus find out quickly and seek medical attention before potentially spreading it to others, according to Walensky.

Cases are likely to continue to rise as the public is able to more easily access tests, she said.

The U.S. can perform roughly 80,000 tests per week and more than 600,000 vaccines have been provided to state and local health departments, according to Becerra. The nation continues to build its stock and has made more than 1.1 million vaccines available and ordered 6.9 million doses in total. Additionally, there are 14,000 treatment doses for the virus available.

Becerra urged all Americans to take it seriously because if everyone is vigilant, it will ensure that the spread of the virus is stopped. Additionally, he said the testing, vaccine and treatments that are available and the educational materials that are being put out to the public and health providers will help to stop the virus from becoming endemic.

“There should be no reason we can’t stay ahead of this,” Becerra said.

Tidewater residents are advised to call 757-518-2700 if they believe they may have come in contact or are showing signs of monkeypox. A health department worker will ask for symptoms and assign treatment over the phone to limit exposure.

The Virginia Department of Health is reviewing the public health emergency declaration and what it means for the how state’s response to the virus may change, according to a Thursday afternoon emailed statement from Logan Anderson, a spokesperson for VDH.