NYC declares monkeypox public health emergency

New York, July 31

New York City has declared a public health emergency due to the monkeypox outbreak.

Mayor Eric Adams and city Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan made the announcement in a joint statement late Saturday as a total of 1,383 monkeypox cases have been reported in New York State, reports Xinhua news agency.

"New York City is currently the epicentre of the outbreak, and we estimate that approximately 150,000 New Yorkers may currently be at risk for monkeypox exposure," the statement read.

The declaration will allow the health department to issue emergency orders under the city health code and amend code provisions to help slow the spread.

The announcement came a day after New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency over the outbreak.

On Thursday, the state health department called monkeypox an "imminent threat to public health".

As of Sunday morning, the monkepox caseload in the US stood at 5,189, the highest in the world.

After New York, California (799) and Illinois (419) account for the highest number of cases

On July 23, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.