--- title: The U.S. Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency description: Declaring monkeypox a public health emergency means that more resources for testing, treatment, and vaccines will soon be available. canonical: https://time.com/6203874/monkeypox-public-health-emergency-us/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-08-04T21:40:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:38:13.449Z article:section: Health og:title: The U.S. Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency. Here's What That Means og:description: The declaration makes more resources available to combat the disease og:url: https://time.com/6203874/monkeypox-public-health-emergency-us/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt221e174bd0a65be3/698a3464d075335738e6d193/GettyImages-1412778743.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: monkeypox-vaccine og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The U.S. Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency. Here's What That Means twitter:description: The declaration makes more resources available to combat the disease twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt221e174bd0a65be3/698a3464d075335738e6d193/GettyImages-1412778743.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:41 video:published: 2022-07-25 section: health topics: monkeypox, global health emergency, WHO, public health emergency of international concern, disease outbreak, international spread, stigma and discrimination, International Health Regulations, men who have sex with men, risk assessment genre: news, press briefing tones: serious, urgent, measured, cautious emotions: concern (high), urgency (medium), reassurance (low) sentiment: neutral audience: general news readers, public health professionals, policymakers, members of affected communities people: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus organizations: World Health Organization, International Health Regulations content_suitability: health controversy [00:56-01:38]; disasters [00:00-00:39] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # The U.S. Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0a389d5f-bc34-4ef5-9fdb-8fac8364280e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: World Health Organization Declares Monkeypox a Global Emergency [Watch (HLS stream): World Health Organization Declares Monkeypox a Global Emergency](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LTGCQpb9.m3u8) (2:41)  _Published 2022-07-25. On July 23, following months of rising case counts in numerous countries, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a global health emergency. That label is meant to prompt a coordinated global response, with the aim of getting the virus’ spread under control._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents the World Health Organization's declaration of the global monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. It outlines the WHO's risk assessment, the rapid international spread through new modes of transmission, and the outbreak's concentration among men who have sex with men. The speaker calls for close work with affected communities, stresses the need to fight stigma and discrimination, and notes that the International Health Regulations need to be sharpened. ## Key points - The WHO assesses the monkeypox risk as moderate globally and in all regions, except the European region, where it is assessed as high. (00:00) - There is a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for the moment. (00:14) - The outbreak has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which the WHO understands too little. (00:25) - The director-general declared the global monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. (00:39) - For the moment the outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners. (00:56) - The outbreak can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups, requiring countries to work closely with communities of men who have sex with men. (01:11) - Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus, and civil society organizations are asked to help fight them. (01:38) - The speaker says the International Health Regulations remain a vital tool but need to be sharpened to be more effective. (02:25) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:25] WHO risk assessment for monkeypox. The WHO describes its regional and global risk assessment and the risk of further international spread. - [00:25 to 00:48] Reasons for the emergency declaration. The speaker explains the rapid spread and unfamiliar transmission modes that led to the emergency declaration. - [00:48 to 01:38] Focus on men who have sex with men. The speaker describes the outbreak's current concentration and calls for work with affected communities. - [01:38 to 02:05] Fighting stigma and discrimination. The speaker warns about stigma and asks civil society organizations to help counter it. - [02:05 to 02:41] Control measures and International Health Regulations. The speaker expresses confidence in current tools and says the International Health Regulations need strengthening. ## Key quotes - [01:38] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "Stigma and Discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus." - [02:05] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "with the tools we have right now, we can stop transmission and bring this outbreak under control." - [02:25] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "The International Health Regulations remains a vital tool for responding to the international spread of disease." - [01:11] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups" ## Questions this video answers - What risk level does the WHO assign to monkeypox globally and in the European region? [00:00] - Why did the WHO declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern? [00:25] - Which groups is the current monkeypox outbreak concentrated among? [00:56] - What does the WHO say is needed to stop the outbreak? [01:11] - What role does the speaker assign to civil society organizations? [01:55] - Why does the speaker say the International Health Regulations need to be sharpened? [02:25] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:56-01:38]: Discusses an outbreak concentrated among men who have sex with men, a sensitive public health subject. - disasters [00:00-00:39]: Covers a global infectious disease outbreak declared a public health emergency.  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Aug 4, 2022 9:40 PM UTC On July 23, following months of rising case counts in numerous countries, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a global health emergency. That label is meant to prompt a coordinated global response, with the aim of getting the virus’ spread under control.  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Aug 4, 2022 9:40 PM UTC On August 4, the U.S. federal government declared monkeypox—with [more than 6,600 cases in the country](https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-map.html)—a public health emergency. Monkeypox is now the second simultaneous public health emergency in the U.S.; the other is COVID-19. The emergency status allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, more discretion in accessing additional funds and resources for the outbreak, including personnel to combat it. That could lead to increased testing as well as more vaccine doses. Several states—including New York, which currently has about a quarter of U.S. cases—have already declared states of emergency to release state funds to help control the outbreak. “We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus,” Becerra said during a briefing announcing the declaration. Perhaps the most critical need, Becerra said, is to educate more doctors and health professionals about how to recognize monkeypox and therefore test more people. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who also participated in the briefing, said the U.S. is currently only using about 10% of available testing capacity; in recent weeks, only about 8,000 tests for monkeypox have been performed per week on average. Reaching more health providers and providing information about when and how to [test for monkeypox](https://time.com/6198670/monkeypox-testing-difficult-slow/) could increase testing and improve access to vaccination or treatments. **Read More**: [_What Having Monkeypox Really Feels Like_](https://time.com/6201191/what-monkeypox-feels-like/) U.S. health authorities advise people who are at high risk for monkeypox—including healthcare workers and men who have sex with men, among whom the virus has been spreading most quickly during this outbreak—to get vaccinated as soon as possible with one of the [two available vaccines](https://time.com/6179429/monkeypox-vaccine/), ACAM2000 or Jynneos. Both have been released from the Strategic National Stockpile, the nation’s store of supplies for health emergencies. About 1.6 million people in the U.S. are considered high risk for monkeypox, according to Walensky, and the Stockpile contains 1.7 million doses of vaccine. Becerra said the government has ordered an [additional 2.5 million doses](https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/07/01/hhs-orders-2-point-5-million-more-doses-jynneos-vaccine-for-monkeypox-preparedness.html) of the Jynneos vaccine from the manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic. Until additional doses are available, Dr. Robert Califf, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the agency is reviewing data to extend the available doses through a practice called “dose sparing.” That involves injecting the monkeypox vaccine into the outermost layers of skin rather than deep into the muscles. This can speed up the circulation and distribution of the vaccine to stimulate the immune system, said Califf, and therefore would require only one-fifth the current vaccine dose. (The rabies vaccine is currently given this way.) That would extend the number of doses available, and so far the strategy appears “promising,” he said. But scientists are still studying whether using this type of intradermal injection would maintain the potency of the vaccine and provide the same protection as the original dose. The public health emergency designation could also increase access to an antiviral drug called TPOXX, which is approved for treating smallpox but may also be effective against monkeypox since the two viruses belong to the same family. Currently, getting the drug requires doctors to register to dispense the drug and patients to sign informed consent forms, since the pill-based treatment is not approved for treating monkeypox and is therefore investigational. Under the public health emergency, Becerra could decide to issue an emergency use authorization for TPOXX, which would remove that paperwork process and allow any physician and any pharmacy to stock the medication. Such steps have not yet been taken, as Becerra, Califf, and Walensky noted that the drug must first be proven safe and effective. 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