Monkeypox declared a public health emergency by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday declared the monkeypox virus outbreak a statewide public health emergency.

Illinois has the third highest number of monkeypox cases after New York and California. Pritzker’s declaration to mark the state as a “disaster area” for monkeypox will allow public health officials to respond more proactively to the outbreak, the governor’s office said.

“MPV is a rare but potentially serious disease that requires the best use of all available public health resources to prevent its spread,” Pritzker said in a statement.

The declaration will take effect immediately and will be in place for 30 days, allowing state agencies to coordinate more efficiently and use new tools in the fight against the disease, the governor’s statement said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has expanded its vaccine and testing capacity with the help of the Illinois Department of Emergency Management and now has access to state and federal recovery and assistance funds, the statement said. The declaration will also help facilitate vaccination arrangements, the statement added.

“These measures will allow states to deploy all of their resources to combat the disease and will open up efficient lines of communication and cooperation across state borders. It’s an essential step in improving our tools and processes to track, prevent and treat it,” said Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Pritzker’s declaration of a state of emergency follows the declaration of a state of emergency announced on July 23rd. world health organizationThe mayor of San Francisco declared a state of emergency over the virus on Thursday, while the mayor of New York City declared a state of emergency on Saturday.

Illinois now reports 520 confirmed or probable monkeypox cases, the governor’s statement said. Nearly one-tenth of all national cases occur in Illinois.

[ Chicago monkeypox cases rise again: 326 and counting ]

Most of the state’s cases are in Chicago, one of the worst-hit cities in the nation. Chicago saw a sharp rise in reported infections last week, with a total of 326 cases reported as of Wednesday.

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot and city public health commissioner Alison Alwadi said in a joint statement that Chicago does not need a separate emergency declaration because the city is subject to the state’s declaration.

“This state of emergency provides the greater focus needed for the monkeypox (MPV) outbreak we are seeing here in Chicago, across the state, and across the country,” they said in a statement. More specifically, we need more support from the federal level to fully address the threat MPV poses to our city.”

The virus is spreading mainly among men who have sex with other men, public health officials at all levels say. The Chicago Public Health Department vaccinates that group, especially those with multiple or anonymous partners, but nothing specific to the disease that limits its spread to men who have sex with men. No, Arwady reiterates.

“Here in Illinois, we ensure that the LGBTQ+ community has the resources they need to stay safe while ensuring our members are stigmatized when accessing critical healthcare,” said Pritzker.

[ Monkeypox concern grows as virus spreads in Chicago: ‘They need to get loud about this’ ]

The state has received 7,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government and expects to receive another 13,000 doses in the near future, the statement said. Many of the doses received have already been shared with Chicago’s health department.

Health care providers and gay men across Chicago are calling for a stronger response to the outbreak and more vaccines amid a nationwide vaccine shortage. Strengthen immunization efforts Late July. The next day, the Chicago Public Health Department announced Prioritize first dose A move that was expected to delay the administration of many second shots due to new vaccine stocks.

The smallpox-associated monkeypox virus was first detected in humans in 1970 and is endemic to parts of western and central Africa.The disease often begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a large, painful, well-defined rash all over the body that looks like pimples or blisters. can last 4 weeks

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