California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a monkeypox state of emergency to help expand vaccination efforts as cases continue to rise across the state.The declaration comes after San Francisco announced its own state of emergency last week and days after a top health official said officials were still weighing whether a state declaration was needed. California is using the same infrastructure from the COVID-19 pandemic to respond to monkeypox cases, Public Health Officer and Department of Public Health Director Dr. Tomás Aragón also said.The state is expecting an additional 72,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government. So far, California has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses. Still, California public health leaders have said there was a need for 600,000 to 800,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine.| VIDEO BELOW | Advocates stress using lessons learned from AIDS crisis in monkeypox vaccine guidelines“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,” Newsom said in a release on Monday.The state of emergency proclamation enables emergency medical services personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines, along with deploying vaccine clinics through local and community organization partnerships. Read the full proclamation here.“The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it. I’m deeply grateful to Governor Newsom for recognizing the peril we face, and thus declaring a state of emergency,” Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a statement. “This declaration will help expand vaccination, testing, and other critical strategies around the outbreak. I look forward to working with the Governor and his Administration to combat this dangerous health situation.”Sen. Wiener was among the lawmakers who requested an emergency budget appropriation to help counties respond to monkeypox.There have been 786 probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox in California, according to state data. While health officials have stressed that the overall risk to the public is very low, anyone can catch and spread the virus. Learn more about monkeypox here.| INTERACTIVE MAP BELOW | Here is a map of California monkeypox cases by county and what else to knowWhat is monkeypox?Monkeypox is from the same family of viruses as the variola virus, which causes smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are milder and rarely fatal but can still be very painful, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. There are two types of the virus and the current outbreak is the West African type.What are monkeypox symptoms?People with monkeypox may first experience a flu-like illness with fever, headache, muscle aches and enlarged lymph nodes, California’s Department of Public Health said. They could get a rash that looks like blisters or pimples days later that can be painful.If you have a new or unexplained rash and other symptoms you should see a health care provider, the CDC says.How do you contract monkeypox?Monkeypox virus needs close contact to spread and does not spread as easily as COVID-19, experts say. It can be transmitted when a person comes into contact with an animal, human or materials such as clothing or bedding contaminated with the virus. The virus can enter the body through the broken skin of a lesion, respiratory tract, or mucous membranes, which include the eyes, mouth and nose.Health experts have also said that it is possible, in rare cases, to get monkeypox through the inhalation of droplets.Monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted infection but it can spread during intimate physical contact.How do you treat monkeypox?While there is no FDA-approved medicine, the antiviral medication TPOXX is being made available through the CDC and its use is being studied. Antivirals like TPOXX may be recommended for people with weakened immune systems and others more likely to get severely ill, the CDC says.What is the vaccine to prevent monkeypox?The vaccines JYNNEOS and ACAM2000 can prevent people getting monkeypox who are exposed. They were created to protect against smallpox, which is similar. It is recommended for people 18 and older who were exposed to monkeypox.Who should get the monkeypox vaccine?According to the California Department of Public Health, the JYNNEOS vaccine is for people with known close contacts of monkeypox cases, those with occupational risks like lab workers and those with certain risk factors that make them more likely to have been recently exposed. That could be people who attended an event or venue where there was known exposure. California is also requesting more vaccine doses from the federal government to expand vaccination efforts to people with high risk of catching the virus, including gay, bisexual, trans and other men who have sex with men who are at high risk of monkeypox exposure.
California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a monkeypox state of emergency to help expand vaccination efforts as cases continue to rise across the state.
The declaration comes after San Francisco announced its own state of emergency last week and days after a top health official said officials were still weighing whether a state declaration was needed. California is using the same infrastructure from the COVID-19 pandemic to respond to monkeypox cases, Public Health Officer and Department of Public Health Director Dr. Tomás Aragón also said.
The state is expecting an additional 72,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government. So far, California has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses. Still, California public health leaders have said there was a need for 600,000 to 800,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine.
| VIDEO BELOW | Advocates stress using lessons learned from AIDS crisis in monkeypox vaccine guidelines
“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,” Newsom said in a release on Monday.
The state of emergency proclamation enables emergency medical services personnel to administer monkeypox vaccines, along with deploying vaccine clinics through local and community organization partnerships.
Read the full proclamation here.
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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
“The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it. I’m deeply grateful to Governor Newsom for recognizing the peril we face, and thus declaring a state of emergency,” Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a statement. “This declaration will help expand vaccination, testing, and other critical strategies around the outbreak. I look forward to working with the Governor and his Administration to combat this dangerous health situation.”
This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Sen. Wiener was among the lawmakers who requested an emergency budget appropriation to help counties respond to monkeypox.
There have been 786 probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox in California, according to state data.
While health officials have stressed that the overall risk to the public is very low, anyone can catch and spread the virus. Learn more about monkeypox here.
| INTERACTIVE MAP BELOW | Here is a map of California monkeypox cases by county and what else to know
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is from the same family of viruses as the variola virus, which causes smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are milder and rarely fatal but can still be very painful, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. There are two types of the virus and the current outbreak is the West African type.
What are monkeypox symptoms?
People with monkeypox may first experience a flu-like illness with fever, headache, muscle aches and enlarged lymph nodes, California’s Department of Public Health said. They could get a rash that looks like blisters or pimples days later that can be painful.
If you have a new or unexplained rash and other symptoms you should see a health care provider, the CDC says.
How do you contract monkeypox?
Monkeypox virus needs close contact to spread and does not spread as easily as COVID-19, experts say. It can be transmitted when a person comes into contact with an animal, human or materials such as clothing or bedding contaminated with the virus. The virus can enter the body through the broken skin of a lesion, respiratory tract, or mucous membranes, which include the eyes, mouth and nose.
Health experts have also said that it is possible, in rare cases, to get monkeypox through the inhalation of droplets.
Monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted infection but it can spread during intimate physical contact.
How do you treat monkeypox?
While there is no FDA-approved medicine, the antiviral medication TPOXX is being made available through the CDC and its use is being studied. Antivirals like TPOXX may be recommended for people with weakened immune systems and others more likely to get severely ill, the CDC says.
What is the vaccine to prevent monkeypox?
The vaccines JYNNEOS and ACAM2000 can prevent people getting monkeypox who are exposed. They were created to protect against smallpox, which is similar. It is recommended for people 18 and older who were exposed to monkeypox.
Who should get the monkeypox vaccine?
According to the California Department of Public Health, the JYNNEOS vaccine is for people with known close contacts of monkeypox cases, those with occupational risks like lab workers and those with certain risk factors that make them more likely to have been recently exposed. That could be people who attended an event or venue where there was known exposure. California is also requesting more vaccine doses from the federal government to expand vaccination efforts to people with high risk of catching the virus, including gay, bisexual, trans and other men who have sex with men who are at high risk of monkeypox exposure.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism