Just two days after New York State called monkey pox an “imminent threat,” New York City followed suit on Saturday, declaring the disease a “public health emergency.”
The move was announced in a joint statement by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
“New York City is currently the epicenter of the outbreak, and we estimate that approximately 150,000 New Yorkers may currently be at risk of exposure to monkeypox,” the statement said. “We will continue to work with our federal partners to secure more doses as soon as they become available. This outbreak must be met with urgency, action and resources, both nationally and globally, and this public health emergency declaration reflects the gravity. of the moment.”
The declaration will give Vasan and the health department the ability to issue emergency orders and “modify provisions of the Health Code to provide for measures to help slow the spread.”
As of Friday, New York state has reported at least 1,383 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the State Department of Health. Of those, a staggering 1,289 cases are in New York City said the city’s health department.
At least 5,189 cases have been confirmed across the country, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means that New York City accounts for just under 25% of all cases in the US
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that the state was scheduled to receive 110,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine. Of those, roughly 80,000 will go to New York City and the remaining 30,000 to the rest of the state, Hochul said.
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Monkey pox is in the same family of viruses including the variola virus, which causes smallpox, according to the CDC. It was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys that were being used for research. The first human case was discovered in 1970, according to the CDC.
Symptoms will likely include a fever followed by a rash and sores. Monkey pox differs from smallpox, as it causes swollen lymph nodes, the CDC said. Symptoms will begin three weeks after exposure and illness will last two to four weeks.
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