The New York Times and Axios report on concerns that lessons from the early covid response haven’t been learned when it comes to combating monkeypox. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is set to reconvene an emergency committee to tackle the global outbreak.
The New York Times:
The U.S. May Be Losing The Fight Against Monkeypox, Scientists Say
As epidemics go, the monkeypox outbreak should have been relatively easy to snuff out. The virus does not spread efficiently except through intimate contact, and tests and vaccines were at hand even before the current outbreak. Yet the response in the United States has been sluggish and timid, reminiscent of the early days of the Covid pandemic, experts say, raising troubling questions about the nation’s preparedness for pandemic threats. (Mandavilli, 7/8)
Axios:
COVID Missteps Hang Over Monkeypox Response
The United States is applying some of the hard lessons it learned during the COVID pandemic to the monkeypox outbreak. But it’s still playing catch-up. (Dreher, 7/11)
Fox News:
WHO Committee To Reconvene Over Monkeypox Outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) will reconvene a meeting of an emergency committee regarding the global monkeypox outbreak and whether it should be declared a global health emergency. According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the forum will be held in the week beginning July 18 or even sooner. (Musto, 7/7)
In updates on the spread of monkeypox —
AP:
West Virginia Announces First Probable Case Of Monkeypox
The first probable case of monkeypox has been announced in West Virginia. The state Department of Health and Human Resources said Friday the case involves a resident of Berkeley County in the Eastern Panhandle. No additional information was released. (7/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Monkeypox Spreads In L.A., But Vaccine Shortage Persists
As criticism grows from LGBTQ activists and others, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it will expand eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine to certain patients with recent sexually transmitted diseases and to high-risk people at Men’s Central Jail. Still, eligibility will remain limited to the highest-risk people, and officials are reporting a severe shortage of the Jynneos vaccine that probably won’t be resolved for months. (Lin II and Toohey, 7/9)
Fox News:
San Francisco Politicians On Monkeypox Response: Federal Government Has Another ‘Public Health Failure’
Two San Francisco politicians are criticizing the Biden administration over its response to the U.S. monkeypox outbreak. In a joint statement, Sen. Scott Weiner and Assemblyman Matt Haney wrote that the federal government has had another “public health failure.” (Musto, 7/9)
CIDRAP:
Officials Note Multiple Sex Partners As Monkeypox Risk
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published its first update to its rapid risk assessment of monkeypox, saying that the likelihood of disease spread in people with multiple sexual partners in Europe is high, but the risk to the broader population is very low. (Soucheray, 7/8)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
