San Francisco and New York State, Liberal Strongholds, have now both declared health emergencies. Although leaders scare the public over the return of covid these health emergencies are over something uniquely different: Monkey Pox.
San Francisco’s emergency declaration is considered a legal action that mobilizes city resources, accelerates emergency planning, streamlines staffing, and allows the city to have its costs reimbursed by state and federal governments. This means your tax dollars will go to funding these extreme measures.
“San Francisco showed during COVID that early action is essential for protecting public health,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “We know that this virus impacts everyone equally – but we also know that those in our LGBTQ community are at greater risk right now. Many people in our LGBTQ community are scared and frustrated. This local emergency will allow us to continue to support our most at-risk, while also better preparing for what’s to come.”
New York state’s health commissioner also issued an emergency declaration on July 28.
“Based on the ongoing spread of this virus, which has increased rapidly and affected primarily communities that identify as men who have sex with men, and the need for local jurisdictions to administer vaccines, I’ve declared monkeypox an Imminent Threat to Public Health throughout New York State,” State Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement.
San Francisco currently has 261 confirmed cases of monkeypox. There are 700 reported cases in California. New York has 1,341 confirmed monkeypox cases. Globally, there have been more than 21,000 confirmed cases, according to the latest data from the CDC.
Monkeypox is not a respiratory virus, like Covid-19, it spreads through skin-to-skin contact instead. It can also spread through sexual intercourse.
MonkeyPox Primarily Affects the Gay Community
Monkeypox primarily impacts the gay community.
98 percent of people infected with monkeypox were gay or bisexual men according to a study by The New England Medical Journal.
The study illustrated that 75 percent were white, 41 percent had HIV, and the median age was 38. Sexual intercourse is the suspected cause of transmission in 95 percent of those infected.
The World Health Organization (WHO), recommends that gay and bisexual men limit their number of sexual partners. This is to protect themselves and help slow the spread of the virus.
“For men who have sex with men, this includes for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering considering sex with new partners, and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow up if needed,” said WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “our LGBTQ+ community remains among the hardest hit” across the country
