You can forget about wondering what you might do IF a monkeypox state of emergency is ever declared because that moment is already here.
Health :
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker each declared a monkeypox state of emergency in their respective states. These 2 new regions now join New York State on the list of rapidly growing areas where monkeypox is spreading like wildfire.
“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing, and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment, and outreach,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement.
“[Monkeypox] is a rare, but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread,” Gov. Pritzker said in a statement. “That’s why I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure smooth coordination between state agencies and all levels of government, thereby increasing our ability to prevent and treat the disease quickly.”
Initially, monkeypox was considered a “gay” disease and was widely ignored. However, that strategy has since badly backfired on the US and much of the world.
To date, New York currently has the highest number of cases in the US at 1,390, followed by California with 827 and Illinois with 520. Overall, the CDC says 5,811 monkeypox cases have been reported across 48 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
If that wasn’t enough, a whopping 25,391 cases have been detected around the world. — and those numbers are rising.
Sadly, the monkeypox state of emergency in the US exists because health officials grossly underestimated the impact the disease could have — and erroneously believed it was almost exclusively a gay ailment. Now, these same experts are realizing they were deeply in the wrong.
Two children in Indiana recently tested positive for monkeypox, state officials announced late last week. Additionally, a California toddler and a non-US resident infant (traveling through Washington, DC) were each diagnosed with monkeypox.
These newly announced cases have prompted the CDC to warn that children under the age of 8 are among those considered to be at “increased risk” for severe illness from monkeypox. Pregnant women, people who are immunocompromised, and those with a history of atopic dermatitis or eczema are also in danger.
Regrettably, the monkeypox vaccine has been underproduced (for lack of being taken seriously) and is extremely difficult to get throughout the country.
In New York City, a Broadway actor said he had to lie and say he was gay and had engaged in risky sexual activity with multiple male partners within the past 14 days in order to even be considered for a vaccine appointment.
“The agent on the phone told me I would have to admit to doing a lot of things or else I could not get an appointment,” the actor said begrudgingly.
According to John Hopkins Medical, monkeypox symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, and a rash that may initially be mistaken for chickenpox or a sexually transmitted disease (if in the genital or anal region). The infection can be fatal, although it frequently clears up on its own.
In an interview with CBS News, a man who recently recovered from monkeypox described the infection as “excruciating.”
Matt Ford said he first experienced flu-like symptoms before getting the lesions. Then, the difficult days set in.
“The first ones [lesions] that showed up got more painful, especially on more sensitive areas, and became excruciating at times. More kept appearing even as late as like ten days into the infection,” he continued.
Ford added that once the tortuous lesions multiplied, he was prescribed narcotic painkillers just to be able to sleep at night.
Although the US is only now beginning to declare a monkeypox state of emergency in multiple states, Europe is proving that it is lagging even further behind in taking the disease seriously.
In Madrid, a doctor took a photo of a man on a subway who appeared to have monkeypox. When the doctor approached the man and asked why he would get on a packed subway with an infectious disease, the man told the doctor to mind his own business. However, when the doctor asked a woman sitting nearby why she didn’t appear concerned about being exposed to the disease via very visible lesions, her response was shocking.
“I’m not gay. I can’t get monkeypox!” the woman exclaimed.
It is the ignorant and ill-informed mentalities such as this that will see more and more states and nations be forced into declaring a monkeypox state of emergency or else risk a health doomsday.
Stay tuned…
OK WASSUP! discusses Health News:
Monkeypox state of emergency in multiple states.
As much as I don’t want to see another story about another “rare” and potentially deadly disease/virus, I absolutely understand why DJ is posting about this!
Better that WE (all of America, indeed the world) deal with the reality of this growing scourge right now or pay a HUGE price for that failure later, especially for people of Color!