---
title: "Biden Admin Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency"
description: "The decision comes from the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly three months after monkeypox's first detected case on US soil."
date: "2022-08-04"
modified: "2022-08-04"
authors:
  - name: "Frank Landymore"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/biden-admin-declares-monkeypox-public-health-emergency"
categories:
  - "Developments"
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "biden administration"
  - "cdc"
  - "monkeypox"
  - "monkeypox vaccine"
---

# Biden Admin Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency

![The decision comes from the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly three months after monkeypox's first detected case on US soil.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/biden-admin-declares-monkeypox-public-health-emergency.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Getty Images\</em\>*

The Biden administration has [officially declared](<https://abcnews.go.com/Health/biden-administration-declare-monkeypox-public-health-emergency/story?id=87543459>) monkeypox a national health emergency, nearly three months since the first outbreak of the case was detected on [American soil](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-warn-worldwide-monkeypox-outbreaks>) back in May.

The decision, made by the Department of Health and Human Services, comes after growing [pressure from health officials](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/07/25/biden-administration-monkeypox-public-health-emergency/>) and the [World Health Organization declaring](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/who-global-emergency-monkeypox>) the outbreaks a world health emergency over a week ago.

"We are prepared to take our response to the next level," Health Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters on Thursday, as [quoted by *The New York Times*](<https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/04/health/monkeypox-emergency-us.html>). "And I ask each American to take monkeypox seriously."

With the official declaration, federal agencies can now access emergency funding and mobilize their resources and manpower to distribute monkeypox vaccines like [JYNNEOS](<https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/03/1056649/everything-know-monkeypox-vaccines/>), *The New York Times* reports.

That's a crucial boost, in light of [shortages](<https://time.com/6198298/monkeypox-vaccine-shortage/>) of the vaccine and hiccups in its distribution.

The Biden administration declared at the end of July that it would [distribute](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/07/13/monkeypox-vaccine-800000-doses/>) 800,000 vaccines, but [health officials wonder](<https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/health/monkeypox-vaccine-doses.html>) whether that will be enough.

Distributing vaccines isn't the only issue — access to monkeypox testing has also proven to be a [major problem](<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/monkeypox-testing-and-vaccination-in-u-s-have-been-vastly-inadequate-experts-say1/>) so far. At one point, New York City, the epicenter of monkeypox in the US, tested as little as [ten people per day](<https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/nyregion/monkeypox-vaccine-rollout.html>).

As of now, there are over 6,600 reported cases of monkeypox in the United States, [according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](<https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-map.html>), and nearly 26,000 worldwide.

New York state, which [declared](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-york-emergency-monkeypox-infections>) a state of emergency just days earlier, currently has the highest amount of cases in the US at nearly 1,700.

Monkeypox spreads through close person-to-person contact and not [just through sex](<https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/08/04/monkeypox-cases-spread-sti-std-stigma/10172342002/>). Anyone that isn't protected against the disease is at risk of infection.

It usually causes blister-like lesions and rashes throughout the body, especially near the genitals. Other symptoms include fever, exhaustion, muscle aches, and more, [according to the CDC](<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/monkeypox-testing-and-vaccination-in-u-s-have-been-vastly-inadequate-experts-say1/>).

Fortunately, no deaths have been reported so far, as the disease is rarely fatal, the CDC says.

**More on monkeypox:** [*WHO Declares World Health Emergency Over Monkeypox*](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/who-global-emergency-monkeypox>)

## Author
At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled.

### Author social links  
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