Public health agencies for New York state and San Francisco issued monkeypox declarations July 28 to try to cope with the continued spread of the virus, NBC News reported.
"This declaration means that local health departments engaged in response and prevention activities will be able to access additional State reimbursement, after other federal and state funding sources are maximized, to protect all New Yorkers and ultimately limit the spread of monkeypox in our communities," New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement announcing the move.
Following gay California state Sen. Scott Wiener's call July 27 for a state of emergency to help handle the quickly growing monkeypox outbreak, San Francisco Public Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip did the same less than a day later, according to The Bay Area Reporter.
With monkeypox on the rise throughout California, and particularly in San Francisco, Wiener (D-San Francisco) called upon officials for both polities to declare a state of emergency to help combat the virus.
Statewide, there have been 646 confirmed cases, according to the California Department of Public Health. Los Angeles, as of July 28, has 279 confirmed cases, while Santa Clara County has identified 46 cases as of the same date. In Alameda County, as of July 25, there have been 50 confirmed cases.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed likened the current outbreak to the city's experience with COVID back in 2020, and which is still ongoing.
Anyone who has been in close contact with a monkeypox patient can get infected, but since the start of the outbreak, men who have sex with men have been impacted the most.