New York City’s health department has declared monkeypox a public health emergency.
Mayor Eric Adams and the head of the city’s health department on Saturday issued a statement that said New York City was the epicenter of the outbreak and that approximately 150 000 residents may currently be at risk of exposure.
The declaration, which came into effect immediately, will allow the health department to issue emergency orders under the New York City Health Code.
New York City’s declaration came just one day after the state’s governor declared monkeypox a State Disaster Emergency.
In a tweet, Governor Kathy Hochul said the executive order would enable a quicker response to the outbreak and allow for additional steps to get more people vaccinated.
Since the end of last week, the New York health department’s website tracked 1 383 confirmed cases in the state.
Over 1 000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in non-endemic countries: WHO
