This Thursday 4, The United States federal government has declared a national coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency. monkey poxwhich has spread almost exclusively among men who have sex with men.
“We are ready to take our response to the next level to deal with this virus. We urge all Americans to take monkeypox seriously and take responsibility for helping us deal with this virus,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said during a conference call with reporters.
News of the long-awaited statement was first released this Thursday by The Washington Post and later by The New York Times.
By designating monkeypox as a public health emergency, the White House will be able to use emergency funds to expedite testing, treatment and vaccine shipments.
“I have no doubt this will improve the federal government’s response,” he says. Business Intern David Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) Directors.
“However, I haven’t heard any explicit mention of STD clinics being on the front lines of the response at this time. We need emergency resources allocated yesterday.”To add.
Since the first case of monkeypox was diagnosed in the country this year in mid-May, confirmed more than 7,100 cases in the United States. Many public health professionals believe that number is likely much higher.
[A nivel mundial, se han detectado más de 26.860 casos de viruela del mono, incluidos más de 4.570 en España: el segundo país con más casos en el mundo, solo por detrás de EEUU.]
Joe Biden’s government statement comes 12 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) considers monkeypox a global emergency. Despite some disagreements among panelists, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acted as a “tie breaker”, saying the rapid spread of the virus required urgent action and that all member states ” acted together in solidarity”.
Public health emergency declaration makes more funding available and CDC access to more data
The Secretary of HHS has the authority to declare a public health emergency in the event of a major disaster, infectious disease outbreak or attack.
This allows the government and health agencies to reduce red tape that can delay access to treatment and testing. For instance, A public health emergency declaration allows actions such as:
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allow testing and treatment at a faster rate than usualsubjecting them to an expedited review process;
- Access to “year-free” funds — that is, money earmarked exclusively for emergencies — to fund tracing and contact tracing and coordination among federal, state and local health agencies;
- That the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) request more data local health networks to get a better idea of the spread of the disease.
Many experts have expressed concern about the possibility that this declaration will arrive late. The first case of monkeypox in the United States detected in Massachusetts in mid-May. Within a month, there were 150 confirmed cases. A month later, the CDC had confirmed about 2,000 cases. Two weeks later, that figure was over 5,000.
“It was about time. This statement is late,” laments Harvey.
Trying to advance vaccine supply with “dose economy”
US rushes to increase Jynneos supply, a vaccine that works against monkeypox. According to Becerra, 600,000 doses of Jynneos were administered. Although millions of additional doses have been obtained, getting them to local health centers takes time, and vaccination appointments are in progress Reserve in a few minutes.
One of the techniques that HHS hopes to test is the so-called “dose saving”which consists in administering a fifth of the dose on the skin in order to immunize 5 people with a single dose. This is done by pushing the needle into the skin to create “a pocket where the vaccine goes,” explained FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf.
HHS is working with the FDA to decide whether or not to authorize this method, and a decision is expected in the coming days.
The 3 major groups of people who could get the monkeypox vaccine in Spain
“We are at a critical juncture.. The goal has always been to vaccinate as many people as possible,” says Califf, who adds that they are working “as quickly as possible” to “significantly increase the number of doses available.”
Califf says he is confident that administering the vaccine in this way triggers a robust immune response and that medical professionals across the country are able to do so, as the technique is nearly identical to the PPD skin test. [derivado proteico purificado, por sus siglas en inglés]which is common in US healthcare facilities.
Public health emergency statement on monkeypox – much of it was colloquial phrases, but the GAME CHANGER – @US_FDA @DrCaliff_FDA announcing that a dose of Jynneos COULD be split into 5 doses by intradermal (versus subcutaneous) injection – picture below for the difference – BUT… (1/ pic.twitter.com/zSfwdBB3n1
— Kavita Patel MD (@kavitapmd) August 4, 2022
Primary care physician Dr. Kavita Patel published in Twitter What injecting yourself this way ‘could trigger a more effective immune response’and that this is a strategy already used for certain vaccines against rabies and tuberculosis, but it is also possible that “it leads to less efficiency”.
National Institutes of Health scientists hope to answer that question with a new study, but it won’t be complete until November or December at the earliest, as reported Thursday. Statistical.
“If there is evidence of the effectiveness of this, then this would be a strategy to stretch the available vaccines”Harvey notes, while emphasizing that men who have sex with men “deserve” to have “the best vaccination regimen possible.”
“The shortage is unacceptable. Anything less than full vaccine dose efficacy treats gay and bisexual men and MSM [hombres que tienen relaciones sexuales con hombres] as second-class citizensTo add.
Symptoms of monkeypox can vary widely
Doctors at major medical centers in Miami and San Francisco say many cases of monkeypox go unreported because providers don’t always know how to recognize the signs.
The outbreak took many experts by surprise, as patients have a wide range of symptoms that differ from historical literature on monkeypox and images in medical textbooks. Also, some doctors may be afraid to ask patients about their sexual history.
8 Rare Symptoms Monkeypox Can Cause
some patients have smallpox in the genital area that is so painful that it is difficult for them to go to the bathroomor a swollen lymph nodes that prevent them from swallowing. Others may have little or no sign of infection other than a single pimple.
Common early symptoms these are fever, which can be mistaken for COVID-19, and swollen lymph nodes in the groin, which is also a telltale sign.