SAN FRANCISCO: Officials of San Francisco, in the western United states state of California, declared a state of emergency in response to the growing spread of monkeypox across the city.
The mayor of San Francisco announced a state of emergency Thursday over the increasing number of monkeypox cases, allowing officials to cut through red tape and fight a public health crisis reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic that started devastating the city in the 1980s.
"This is a really terrifying time for us. Also, we don't want the federal government to disregard our needs. A few weeks ago, a large number of LGBT leaders also requested further support, help, and assistance, according to Mayor London Breed.
State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat who represents the city, said that San Francisco "was at the vanguard of the public health responses to HIV and COVID-19, and we will be at the forefront when it comes to monkeypox." "We cannot and will not abandon the LGBTQ community."
According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the city has 281 cases, out of around 800 in California and 4,600 nationwide. People have had to wait hours in line for limited doses of vaccine due to a national scarcity, and they are frequently turned away when the shots run out.
The San Francisco public health agency has not provided basic information about testing or vaccination availability, The members of the LGBTQ community expressed their outrage and disgust during a municipal hearing last week. They claimed they were relying on social media for this information.
Rafael Mandelman, the department's supervisor, scolded the agency, saying it was puzzling that it couldn't staff phone lines, especially after directing people to call those numbers for information, while the San Francisco AIDS Foundation was able to immediately staff a monkeypox information hotline. Instead of making individuals wait in line like the public health department does, the organisation has developed a wait list for those who want the vaccine.
WHO says monkeypox outbreak can be stopped if needed actions taken