DUBAI: The United States has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, the health secretary said Thursday, a move expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease.
The declaration comes as the tally of cases crossed 6,600 in the United States on Wednesday, almost all of them among men who have sex with men.
“We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said at a briefing.
The declaration will also help improve the availability of monkeypox data, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said, speaking alongside Bacerra.
The World Health Organization has also dubbed monkeypox a “public health emergency of international concern,” its highest alert level.
The WHO declaration last month was designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on vaccines and treatments.
Biden earlier this month appointed two top federal officials to coordinate his administration’s response to monkeypox, following declarations of emergencies by California, Illinois and New York.
First identified in monkeys in 1958, the disease has mild symptoms including fever, aches and pus-filled skin lesions, and people tend to recover from it within two to four weeks, according to the World Health Organization. It spreads through close physical contact and is rarely fatal.
Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, told Reuters on Thursday that it was critical to engage leaders from the gay community as part of efforts to rein in the outbreak, but cautioned against stigmatizing the lifestyle.
“Engagement of the community has always proven to be successful,” Fauci said.
Unlike when COVID-19 emerged, there are already vaccines and treatments available for monkeypox, which was first documented in Africa in the 1970s.
The US government had distributed 156,000 monkeypox vaccine doses nationwide through mid-July. It has ordered an additional 2.5 million doses of Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine.
The first US case of monkeypox was confirmed in Massachusetts in May, followed by another case in California five days later.
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US government declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency
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US government declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency
- The declaration comes as the tally of cases crossed 6,600 in the US on Wednesday
- The declaration will also help improve the availability of monkeypox data
Bangladesh’s Islamist-led coalition submits poll complaints
- Bangladesh Nationalist Party posts sweeping victory in the South Asian nation of 170 million after general elections on Thursday
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Islamist-led coalition, which lost its chance to form the country’s next government in this week’s polls, submitted complaints to the Election Commission on Sunday, challenging results in 32 constituencies.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman — the scion of one of the country’s most influential political dynasties — celebrated a sweeping victory in the South Asian nation of 170 million after general elections on Thursday.
They were the first polls since a 2024 uprising ousted the autocratic government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The BNP alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Election Commission.
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman conceded on Saturday, saying his party would “serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition.”
Newly elected lawmakers are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday, after which Rahman is set to become the country’s next prime minister.
But on Sunday, Jamaat officials submitted their complaints.
“We have identified 32 constituencies where our candidates were unfairly defeated,” said senior Jamaat official Hamidur Rahman Azad.
“The election day began smoothly, but the ending was not what we had expected. Fake votes, the circulation of black money (bribes), threats, assaults, and attacks marred the atmosphere.”
Police records show that political clashes during the campaign period left five people dead and more than 600 injured.
But despite weeks of turbulence ahead of the polls, voting day passed without major unrest and the country has so far responded to the results with relative calm.
At least two people were killed in post-poll clashes, while scattered acts of vandalism and assaults were reported in several districts, police said.
Both Jamaat?e?Islami and ally the National Citizen Party (NCP) — formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising — reported attacks on their supporters.
NCP loyalists marched through Dhaka University campus against the BNP on Friday.
Police spokesman AHM Shahadat Hossain said that police were deployed to keep the peace.
“Over 150,000 police personnel were trained to tackle pre- and post-election violence,” Hossain said.
The Election Commission said turnout was 59 percent across 299 of the 300 constituencies where voting was held.
Only seven women were directly elected, although a further 50 seats reserved for women will be allocated to parties according to their share of the vote.
Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus — a population that makes up roughly seven percent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman — the scion of one of the country’s most influential political dynasties — celebrated a sweeping victory in the South Asian nation of 170 million after general elections on Thursday.
They were the first polls since a 2024 uprising ousted the autocratic government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The BNP alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Election Commission.
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman conceded on Saturday, saying his party would “serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition.”
Newly elected lawmakers are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday, after which Rahman is set to become the country’s next prime minister.
But on Sunday, Jamaat officials submitted their complaints.
“We have identified 32 constituencies where our candidates were unfairly defeated,” said senior Jamaat official Hamidur Rahman Azad.
“The election day began smoothly, but the ending was not what we had expected. Fake votes, the circulation of black money (bribes), threats, assaults, and attacks marred the atmosphere.”
Police records show that political clashes during the campaign period left five people dead and more than 600 injured.
But despite weeks of turbulence ahead of the polls, voting day passed without major unrest and the country has so far responded to the results with relative calm.
At least two people were killed in post-poll clashes, while scattered acts of vandalism and assaults were reported in several districts, police said.
Both Jamaat?e?Islami and ally the National Citizen Party (NCP) — formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising — reported attacks on their supporters.
NCP loyalists marched through Dhaka University campus against the BNP on Friday.
Police spokesman AHM Shahadat Hossain said that police were deployed to keep the peace.
“Over 150,000 police personnel were trained to tackle pre- and post-election violence,” Hossain said.
The Election Commission said turnout was 59 percent across 299 of the 300 constituencies where voting was held.
Only seven women were directly elected, although a further 50 seats reserved for women will be allocated to parties according to their share of the vote.
Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus — a population that makes up roughly seven percent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
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