Tuesday 23 Apr 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 5): The White House has officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency, in a move that is reportedly aimed at freeing up emergency funding and improving distribution of vaccines and treatments.

Washington-based news portal The Hill on Thursday (Aug 4) cited US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra as saying during a briefing that the agency is prepared to take its response to the next level in addressing the virus, and urged every American to take monkeypox seriously.

The report said the announcement comes amid intense criticism that the White House failed to recognise the severity of the outbreak, leading to shortages of vaccine doses and diagnostic tests even as demand has soared.

It said the nation has already purchased much of the global supply of Jynneos, the only monkeypox vaccine licensed in the United States, but much of it is stored frozen in bulk. It needs to undergo a process called “fill and finish” to put the vaccine into usable vials to be shipped and then administered.

Some public health experts fear the United States lost its opportunity to contain and even eliminate the virus, said the report.

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