Monkeypox outbreak slows in US, but health leaders say significant challenge remains

But the recent death of a Los Angeles County resident, the first in the United States to be attributed to monkeypox, is a tragic reminder that the epidemic is ongoing and still carries risks.

“There is some hope that these cases will plateau. That is no consolation to anyone just because this outbreak is over,” said the executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. David Harvey said at a briefing on Tuesday.

“We need to step up our efforts to respond to this outbreak, and we have so much unanswered data about this highly unusual outbreak of a known virus that has been around for decades. There are questions, clinical care questions, research questions, which themselves are very different in the United States.”

Monkeypox deaths are extremely rare and often affect babies, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV.This year, the World Health Organization reported 22 died out of about 58,000 cases. About 22,000 of these cases have been reported in the United States.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the White House Assistant Monkeypox Response Coordinator, said last week.

But Harvey and other public health leaders said Tuesday that those on the front lines of the response, including local health departments, epidemiologists and sexually transmitted disease clinics, are working to ensure continued improvement. warned that it did not have sufficient resources for

Also, Dr. Caesar Arias, director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and director of the Infectious Diseases Division at Houston Methodist Hospital, said there is a “very important immunocompromised population in the United States” and that if this outbreak continues, He said the risk would be higher. said in a briefing.

Other key concerns raised by US public health leaders at Tuesday’s briefing include unfair vaccination, access to testing and incomplete surveillance data.

They defended the Biden administration’s request to allocate about $4 billion to the monkeypox response in the upcoming government funding bill as one of the “four critical needs” along with support, telling Congress: We called for the immediate availability of substantial funds to deal with the outbreak. For Ukraine, Covid-19 response and natural disaster recovery.

The funding pressure comes a day before federal leaders, including Dr. Rochelle Wallensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, are scheduled to speak before the Senate Health Committee. It is done. , Education, Work and Pensions on the Federal Response to the Monkeypox Outbreak.

The need for equitable protection

Public health leaders attribute the decline in the incidence of new cases to vaccination and changes in the behavior of those most at risk.Men who have sex with men have been disproportionately affected by the outbreak, with about half report According to the CDC, we are taking steps to protect ourselves and our partners.

But for this hopeful trend to continue, continued effort and investment will be needed, especially in reaching out to underrepresented groups. , health leaders said.

“In many ways, the initial easy work has been completed. Now, local health departments are working to reach deeper into the hardest-to-reach communities with messages, education, vaccines, testing and treatment. We need to be more creative,” said Lori. Her Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said:

data People of color make up a disproportionate share of cases, but are underrepresented among vaccinated people, according to a CDC study.

According to the CDC’s CNN analysis, more than half of the new monkeypox cases in the past two months were in black and Hispanic people, yet only about a third of the initial vaccinations went to individuals in these groups. did. data.

The White House monkeypox response team last month highlighted efforts to address these inequities and provide vaccinations at large events and festivals as one strategy to curb them.

“As the supply of vaccines grows, I think there are new opportunities for strategies to get vaccines to people, rather than having people find them.” Daskalakis said.

Last week, Daskarakis noted that infection rates are slowing in hardest-hit areas of the country, including New York, Texas, California and Illinois.

But local public health leaders stressed the need for a broader view.

“We can’t take our feet off the gas just because major cities have the means to take strong response measures and smaller rural communities have to fend for themselves,” Harvey said. .

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos