Current:Home > ScamsMpox will not be renewed as a public health emergency next year-InfoLens
Mpox will not be renewed as a public health emergency next year
View Date:2025-01-11 06:33:42
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would not renew mpox, the virus formerly known as monkeypox, as a public health emergency after January 31, 2023, following a drop in cases.
Mpox cases, which peaked in August with a seven-day average of 459 new cases, fell steadily over the past months to an average of seven cases by the end of November.
"From the outset of the mpox outbreak, the Administration pulled every lever to stop the spread of this virus," wrote Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, in a Friday press release. "Given the low number of cases today, HHS does not expect that it needs to renew the emergency declaration when it ends on January 31, 2023."
The Department of Health and Human Services declared mpox a public health emergency in early August, with more than 7,500 cases confirmed.
The U.S. soon saw a slower rate of new cases beginning mid-August, making health officials cautiously optimistic soon after the announcement of a public health emergency. The seven-day average of new cases dropped 20% from Aug. 10 to Aug. 26.
A change in behavior, particularly among LGBTQ communities, helped curb the spread of mpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About half of respondents to a CDC survey said they had reduced "their number of sex partners, one-time sexual encounters, and use of dating apps because of the monkeypox outbreak," according to a report released in September.
The vast majority of mpox cases are related to male-to-male sexual contact, according to the World Health Organization.
As of Dec. 2, a total of nearly 30,000 cases and 19 deaths have been confirmed in the U.S. and about 82,000 cases globally.
"We won't take our foot off the gas – we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine," Becerra wrote. "As we move into the next phase of this effort, the Biden-Harris Administration continues working closely with jurisdictions and partners to monitor trends, especially in communities that have been disproportionately affected."
veryGood! (746)
Related
- Texas now tops in SEC? Miami in trouble? Five overreactions to college football Week 11
- FDA approves new Alzheimer's treatment, donanemab from Eli Lilly
- Michael J. Fox makes surprise appearance with Coldplay at Glastonbury Festival
- Why mass shootings and violence increase in the summer
- Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
- Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say
- Usher and Janet Jackson headline 30th Essence Festival of Culture
- 74-year-old woman dies after being pushed in front of Bay Area train by stranger
- Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
- Newly built CPKC Stadium of the KC Current to host NWSL championship game in November
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Defending Wimbledon women's champion Marketa Vondrousova ousted in first round
- In Chile’s Southern Tip, a Bet on Hydrogen Worries Conservationists
- California wildfires trigger evacuations as Thompson Fire burns with no containment
- When do new 'Yellowstone' episodes come out? Here's the Season 5, Part 2 episode schedule
- Biden fixes 161-year-old oversight, awards Medal of Honor to 2 Civil War soldiers
- Hurricane Beryl roars toward Jamaica after killing at least 6 people in the southeast Caribbean
- 74-year-old woman dies after being pushed in front of Bay Area train by stranger
Recommendation
-
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women’s suffrage monument
-
Powell says Fed waiting on rate cuts for more evidence inflation is easing
-
Abortion-rights advocates set to turn in around 800,000 signatures for Arizona ballot measure
-
NHL free agency winners, losers: Predators beef up, contenders lose players
-
Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
-
Hurricane Beryl roars toward Jamaica after killing at least 6 people in the southeast Caribbean
-
Las Vegas Aces dispatch Fever, Caitlin Clark with largest WNBA crowd since 1999
-
How obscure 'Over 38 Rule' rule can impact LeBron James signing longer deal with Lakers