How is the White House handling the rising number of instances of monkeypox? Rainfall is increasing due to climate change, which also causes hazardous floods. Tech firms claim they are prepared for a challenging economic climate.
Morning Edition, the most listened-to news radio program in the country, has recently aired a podcast regarding the spread of monkeypox and the changing climate. The Morning Edition podcast was hosted by Asma Khalid (Host 1) and Leila Fadel(Host 2). Below is the podcast transcript’s first part, which emphasizes the rising number of instances of monkeypox.
HOST 1:
Nearly 5,000 cases of monkeypox have been documented so far in the United States, which indicates a rapid increase.
HOST 2:
Yeah. And a state of emergency was declared in San Francisco. The pathogen was deemed an immediate threat by New York City.
According to health secretary Xavier Becerra, every American must be aware of the pandemic.
Monkeypox is infectious but not COVID, according to Xavier Becerra. It causes agony. And it could be harmful.
HOST 1: Pien Huang, an NPR health correspondent, is here to give the latest updates.
That being said, Pien, it is obvious that the monkeypox outbreak is spreading. Additionally, I know that the White House has been monitoring this situation. How do you see their approach?
PIEN HUANG, BYLINE: Asma, the major plan of attack is to stop the spread by immunizing enough individuals at high risk. And that’s been challenging given that the U.S. initially only had a limited supply of doses of the monkeypox vaccine. The circumstance is improving. The administration has now sent more than 300,000 doses of the vaccine to the states and territories. They also mentioned receiving extra injections yesterday. Thus, 1.1 million dosages will have been made available this weekend. And additional dosages are reportedly on the way.
HOST 1: It also appears that the administration is putting a lot of work into vaccines. Do you believe that is enough to stop the epidemic right now?
HUANG: It’s difficult to predict both when it will take place and how long it will take. Federal health officials refused to provide a precise figure when asked how many individuals needed to be immunized to end the outbreak. We don’t fully understand the magnitude of the epidemic, which is one of the causes. As you said, the official case count is close to 5,000. However, there are still further instances. And while testing has improved this month, not everyone with a new rash is being screened for monkeypox. They could not know where to go, you know. They could be without a physician. Or perhaps their physician is unaware of the need for a test. Or perhaps they are unable to pay it.
Vaccines alone, said health secretary Xavier Becerra won’t be sufficient.
BECERRA: Our team at the federal level thinks we have done all possible to collaborate with our local and state partners in impacted communities so that we can stay ahead of this and put a stop to this outbreak. But everyone must grab an oar and start rowing.
HUANG: He refers to both the groups at risk, which up to this point have mostly been males who have sex with men and state and municipal health officials when he says “everyone.” What kind of preventative steps will they be? He said nothing further. However, according to medical professionals, this often entails contact tracing, identifying cases quickly, treating them, and keeping infected individuals isolated for a few weeks.
HOST 1: You know, you mentioned government representatives. What do states believe about this, then?
HUANG: Well, I decided To ask Marcus Plescia. He belongs to and is affiliated with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. States have taken the oars, he adds, using a metaphor.
MARCUS PLESCIA: We’re all moving as tough as we can. So, you know, I believe that some states do believe that the federal government is making every effort to obtain immunizations. However, we can’t provide vaccinations that we don’t have.
Host 1: Pien, we’ve already seen announcements of local emergencies. What impact would a proclamation of a major emergency focus on making?
HUANG: Yup. The White House is debating whether it qualifies as a national emergency for public health. Additionally, cash and resources would be available to respond to the monkeypox.
It would also raise awareness, says UCLA health law professor Lindsay Wiley.
LINDSAY WILEY: Any emergency declaration, including the designation of a federal public health emergency, sends the public that this should be taken seriously.
HUANG: Among other things, it would enable them to designate a monkeypox czar to oversee the response.
Host 1: Thanks for your time, Huang.
HUANG: Thank you very much.