The Biden administration will end the state of emergency over monkeypox

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People line up for monkeypox vaccinations at the new monkeypox vaccination site at Barnsdall Art Park, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in Hollywood, California.

Brian Van Der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

The Biden administration will lift the public health emergency declared in response to the monkeypox outbreak, as the number of new infections has dropped dramatically and vaccination rates have increased.

The Department of Health and Human Services does not expect to renew the emergency declaration after it expires on Jan. 31 “given the small number of cases today,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday.

“However, we will not back down – we will continue to closely monitor case trends and encourage all at-risk individuals to get the free vaccine,” he said. “As we move into the next phase of this effort, the Biden-Harris administration continues to work closely with jurisdictions and partners to monitor trends, particularly in communities that have been disproportionately affected.”

Becerra declared a state of emergency in August to step up a vaccination and education campaign as the virus spread rapidly in the gay community. The spread of the virus, which the World Health Organization named “mpox” on Monday to reduce the stigma associated with its name, has since slowed dramatically.

Mpox has infected nearly 30,000 people and killed 15 in the U.S. since health officials confirmed the first domestic case in May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak in the US is the largest in the world.

But infections have slowed dramatically since August, when new cases peaked at an average of 638 a day. According to the CDC, the U.S. currently averages about seven new cases per day.

U.S. health officials said the outbreak has slowed because vaccinations have increased dramatically and people have changed their behavior in response to education campaigns about how to avoid infection.

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The vaccination campaign got off to a rocky start as limited supplies led to long lines at clinics and protests in some cities. But vaccinations increased significantly after the White House created a task force and HHS declared a public health emergency.

Since the summer, more than 1.1 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine have been administered in the United States. Director of the CDC Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the roughly 1.7 million gay and bisexual men who are HIV positive or taking medication to prevent HIV infection are most at risk for mpox.

Mpox is spread primarily through sexual contact between men who have sex with men. The virus causes rashes that resemble pimples or blisters, which can develop in sensitive areas and are very painful. Although mpox is rarely fatal, people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of severe disease.

The CDC said in a report released in late October that the U.S. is unlikely to eradicate mpox in the near future. According to the CDC, the virus will likely continue to circulate at low levels primarily in communities of men who have sex with men. Although anyone can contract mppox, according to the CDC, there is so far little evidence of widespread spread of the virus among the general population.

This year’s global outbreak of mppox is the largest on record, with more than 80,000 confirmed cases in more than 100 countries. The current outbreak is highly unusual, as the virus is spreading widely among people in Europe and North America.

Historically, smallpox spread in small numbers in remote areas of West and Central Africa, where people contracted the virus from infected animals.

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