monkeypox
U.S. senators criticize federal health officials for lagging monkeypox response
WASHINGTON — Congress held its first hearing on monkeypox Wednesday, with lawmakers rebuking federal public health officials for their slow response to the outbreak, even though the hearing came four months after the first U.S. case was diagnosed. “By any measure, in fact by every measure, the response from the Biden administration on the monkeypox […]
White House calls meeting with college officials on how to curb monkeypox on campus
WASHINGTON — The White House held a virtual meeting Thursday with more than 1,000 college and university officials to help them prepare for a school year when monkeypox cases are expected to crop up on campus. The Biden administration’s monkeypox and COVID-19 response teams as well as representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and […]
What monkeypox outbreak? Little planning by colleges as students resume classes
WASHINGTON — College students are heading back to campus following more than two years of a pandemic that led many schools to empty out for full semesters and later move to hybrid schedules in a struggle to curb the spread of COVID-19. But the attempt by colleges and universities to return to something resembling normal […]
Biden administration asks state, local officials to boost monkeypox vaccine outreach
WASHINGTON — Federal public health officials said Thursday they are working with state and local health departments to boost messaging and vaccinations for those most likely to contract monkeypox, including at large-scale events. But Biden administration officials at a press briefing also struggled to explain differing statements about how the vaccines should be administered, a […]
State health officials preach prevention as Monkeypox, COVID-19 continue spread
Ohio Department of Health officials emphasized calm and caution during an update Thursday. Cases of Monkeypox are on the rise nationally, and COVID-19 continues to spread as children prepare to return to school. Both present challenges, health officials explained, but the state is well-positioned to respond. Monkeypox cases so far have come primarily from to […]
Biden administration proposes changing how monkeypox vaccine is administered
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration began encouraging health care providers Tuesday to change the way they’re administering vaccines to protect against monkeypox, in an attempt to stretch out doses fivefold. The latest shift in strategy comes as the administration races to curtail the spread of the virus, which jumped from 778 cases one month ago […]
Federal officials declare a public health emergency for monkeypox
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Thursday a public health emergency for the monkeypox virus, which means the federal government can more quickly assist states with distributing vaccines and conducting testing and public health campaigns. “We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, […]
Congress mostly silent as states struggle to contain monkeypox
WASHINGTON — Two months after doctors diagnosed the first case of monkeypox in the United States, Congress has yet to hold a hearing, or give any significant attention to the painful and debilitating virus that’s spread to more than 4,600 people. Public health officials in the Biden administration have held several briefings, expanded testing capacity […]
Ohio declares monkeypox ‘significant public concern’ but still offers no testing or vaccine plan
I set out to write a follow-up opinion piece to my July 13 article on Ohio’s lackluster response to the monkeypox virus outbreak, mostly focused on the fact that we now have more than 4,000 vaccine doses and an increasingly frustrated public of gay men watching other states roll out vaccines. But I stumbled across […]
Monkeypox is spreading but the Ohio Department of Health hasn’t spread the message
It may come as a surprise to most people in Ohio that in addition to dealing with the ongoing problem of COVID-19 ebbs and flows of infections and variants, we actually have an entirely different infectious disease to be concerned about: monkeypox. And the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has done very little else to […]
Nine monkeypox cases now reported in seven states, and CDC urges awareness
WASHINGTON — Monkeypox cases are slowly increasing throughout the United States, though public health officials said Thursday they have the tools needed to diagnose, treat and contain the virus that’s mostly spread by skin-to-skin contact. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a briefing that there are now nine diagnosed cases […]
CDC expects more monkeypox cases in the U.S.
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it’s likely the United States will see additional cases of monkeypox in the coming weeks, but officials cautioned that it’s harder to transmit the virus than it is to spread respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. Monkeypox, which is also spreading throughout Europe, has an incubation […]