California and Illinois declared states of emergency in response to the rapid spread of monkeypox virus nationwide.
On Monday, both states declared a state of emergency as the recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that more than 5,800 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported across the United States.
The data also reported more than 800 cases in California and over 500 cases in Illinois as of Tuesday.
According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, his recent declaration was meant to bolster the state’s vaccination efforts by enabling the Emergency Medical Services personnel to administer the monkeypox vaccine.
“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 an official statement.
“We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization.” Newsom added.
In the proclamation released by California on Monday, it revealed that “expanding the pool of eligible vaccinators will substantially aid current efforts and support anticipated further vaccination efforts upon receipt of additional doses from the federal government.”
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also declared monkeypox virus a public health emergency and empowered the Illinois Department of Public Health to make use of the state and federal resources to distribute vaccines.
“I find that a disaster exists within the State of Illinois due to the public health emergency caused by the monkeypox virus and specifically declare all counties in the state of Illinois as a disaster area,” Pritzker’s disaster declaration stated.
In the new data released by the California Department of Public Health Friday, it was revealed that “California’s outbreak has had a disproportionate impact on members of the LGBTQ community, with 91.7% of the state’s cases occurring among gay and lesbian individuals.”
The CDC also warned the public and claimed that the virus spreads mostly through “close, intimate contact” with someone who has monkeypox and can cause fever, painful rash and exhaustion.
