Xavier Becerra was the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He declared a public emergency Thursday to address the monkeypox outbreak.

Becerra issued a statement stating that “in the light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a emergency on #monkeypox.” “We are ready and able to escalate our response to this virus and urge all Americans take monkeypox very seriously. ”

More that 6,600 Americans have been affected by the monkeypox pandemic. A public health emergency, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic can also be created.

According the White House, they have distributed over 1.1 million vaccine doses and increased domestic diagnostic capabilities to 80,000 tests each week.

Last week, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox an emergency. The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public emergency last week in more than 70 countries. However, this does not necessarily mean that the disease is particularly transmissible or could prove fatal.

California, Illinois, New York, and New York declared their support for the declarations in the last week. San Francisco, San Diego County and New York City made declarations.

Monkeypox can be spread by close skin to skin contact, sharing of towels and clothing, and prolonged skin-to skin contact.

Top officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Emergency Management Agency were appointed by the White House to serve as coordinators for the fight against monkeypox.