San Francisco officials declared a state of emergency Thursday in response to a monkeypox outbreak spreading across the city.
The declaration allows Mayor London Breed and other city officials to allocate resources and staff to combat the growing monkey epidemic. As of Wednesday, the city reported 261 people with confirmed or possible monkeypox infections. Health officials expect the toll to rise in the coming days and weeks
A rapid increase in cases of monkeypox in San Francisco collided with a lack of available vaccines. To date, city officials say they have received 8,200 doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which is aimed at preventing monkeypox and smallpox in adults.
“We want flexibility to use our resources to best serve the population and protect health,” San Francisco health official Susan Phillips said Thursday. “We also want to reaffirm our commitment to the health of our LGBTQ community in San Francisco, as we have historically done as a city,” he added, referring to the population most affected by monkeypox.
Philip emphasized that he does not plan to require any closures or restrictions that distinguish this declaration from medical emergency orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monkey pox in the Bay Area
Perhaps more worrisome than the number of infections is the trajectory, which “continues to increase,” Philip said, “and we know there are still more undiagnosed cases.” Testing has increased, he said, but not enough to make it widely available.
In a statement, Breed acknowledged that the virus affects everyone equally — but we also know that those in our LGBTQ community are at greater risk right now.
In support of members of the LGBTQ community who are “scared and upset,” Breed said the local state of emergency “allows us to continue to support those who are most at risk, while also being better prepared for what’s to come.”
“This is a very important step taken by San Francisco,” the state senator said. Scott Wiener said. He said he is writing to Secko, pushing the city and state to declare a monkey disease emergency. Xavier Becerra is an employee of the US Department of Defense. Request more flexibility for states and counties in Health and Human Services to direct COVID-19 funds to monkeypox vaccines and treatments.
Wiener expressed frustration with the federal government’s initially sluggish response and the “extremely difficult” hurdles facing doctors trying to find a cure for monkeypox. But he said the federal response has improved.
San Francisco and Los Angeles are currently the two most dangerous hotspots for monkeypox in California, which as of July 21 had the second-highest number of cases in the country behind New York. To the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Philip, the two cities are currently “necked” with roughly the same number of infections.
The city has requested an initial 35,000 doses and is currently prioritizing vaccines for trans people who have sex with men, who are most vulnerable to infection of the city’s entire population. Within these communities, Latino men saw a disproportionate number of cases, a disparity Philip attributed to the spread of the virus through networks.
He attributed the national vaccine shortage to a limited supply chain from one global manufacturer, Jynneos, based in Denmark. It provides vaccines for the federal stockpile to be distributed to states and, in turn, cities.
The Department of Public Health said it will focus on distributing the first doses of monkeypox vaccines to as many at-risk people as possible, withholding second doses until the city has enough supplies to accommodate them. Although the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not support this practice, New York City has adopted this strategy to address supply constraints.
Declaring a state of emergency allows the city to tap emergency funds from the state and federal government and increase public awareness of the outbreak.
The declaration will come into effect on August 1, the city authorities said.
Although monkeypox is not a new disease, it has recently come to the fore after outbreaks in several countries. San Francisco first reported it on June 3, and the number of infections has risen rapidly, worrying health officials who are still trying to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
The disease, which causes blisters or pimple-like rashes or sores along with flu-like symptoms, is spread by kissing, sharing bedding or clothing, or breathing in close proximity. It is less contagious than COVID-19 and poses less of a threat to the general population. Although many cases resolve on their own, in rare cases monkeypox can become serious.
“It’s spread through skin-to-skin or very close face-to-face contact, so large droplets or saliva can spread,” Philip said, distinguishing monkeypox from COVID-19. air in the distance.
Tyler TerMeer, chief executive officer of the AIDS Foundation of San Francisco, praised San Francisco’s swift action, but said the federal government was hesitant to declare a federal emergency — in part because monkeypox was not yet fatal.
“Community organizations like the AIDS Foundation of San Francisco have been sounding the alarm for weeks about the crisis our community is once again facing,” TerMeer said, noting the resonances between the AIDS epidemic and the monkeypox epidemic of the 1980s.
Although monkeypox is not fatal, the sores can still cause severe pain, and they have sown fear and panic among people who see friends sick or hear about the disease on social media, TerMeer said.
“Once again, we’re at a time of federal health care for cisgender and transgender people, as well as non-binary people with similar social and sexual networks,” she said.
The AIDS Foundation of San Francisco has provided 840 vaccinations at its clinic in the Castro and has 130 doses on hand, TerMeer added, adding that the 7,300-person waiting list is far less than the number being served.
Forty years ago, he said, the AIDS Foundation started the hotline because “people were living in fear and anxiety about something new that was happening in society, and they felt like public health was not on their side.”
Now, amid a new climate of fear and uncertainty, the foundation has again set up a hotline — this time focusing on monkeypox.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Rachel Swan is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan