In order to tackle the spreading monkeypox outbreak, President Biden has appointed top representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to serve as the White House coordinators.
Robert Fenton, who assisted in leading FEMA’s mass immunization campaign against COVID-19 while serving as the agency’s interim administrator when Mr. Biden first assumed office, was named by the president as the White House coordinator on Tuesday, according to the White House.
He will be assisted by Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC. Daskalakis, the director of the agency’s HIV prevention division and a national expert on issues affecting the LGBTQ community, previously helped lead New York City’s COVID-19 response.
In order to tackle the current monkeypox outbreak, the two would coordinate “strategy and tactics, including equally boosting the availability of testing, immunizations, and treatments,” according to the White House.
The nation’s foremost authority on infectious diseases and Vice President Biden’s top science advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, complimented their selections on Monday night and expressed optimism that they would improve cooperation between the different government departments involved in the response to monkeypox.
“I personally think we’re dealing with a really serious issue here,” Fauci said. “There are a lot of unknowns. There are a lot of knowns about monkeypox, but there’s still a lot of unknowns. So we’ve really got to implement the interventions we have, get a much better feeling for the natural history and the scope and absolutely reach out into the community, and that’s the reason why I think the combination of Bob and Demetre is really a good combination.”
Sharing beds, towels, and clothes is another method of continuous and close skin-to-skin contact that can transmit the monkeypox virus. Males who have intercourse with other men have been the majority of those who have been ill thus far. However, health professionals stress that anybody may contract the infection. The infection may result in a fever, chills, body pains, weariness, and lumps that resemble pimples on various body areas.
On May 18, the first incidence of the monkeypox virus in the United States was verified. As of this writing, there have been approximately 5,800 illnesses.
The appointment of the coordinator and deputy coordinator is reminiscent of the Biden administration’s reaction to COVID-19, in which the president moved viral response activities under Dr. Ashish Jha and Jeff Zients to the West Wing.
According to scientists, major vaccination programs against monkeypox won’t be necessary, unlike those to combat COVID-19. They believe that by using the available dosages strategically in combination with other actions, it will be possible to stop the spreading diseases that have just just been classified as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.
However, the Biden administration has come under fire for how quickly monkeypox vaccines are being available. Major cities like New York and San Francisco have clinics that claim they haven’t gotten enough of the two-shot vaccination to fulfill demand. Some of these clinics have had to cease providing the second dosage of the vaccine in order to ensure that initial doses are available. According to the White House, more than 1.1 million vaccination doses have been made accessible, and 80,000 tests are now performed domestically every week.
Following New York’s declaration of a public health emergency over the weekend, California became the second state in three days to do the same on Monday, but the Biden administration didn’t seem to be going in that direction. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra would make the choice, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“We look forward to partnering with Bob Fenton and Demetre Daskalakis as we work to end the monkeypox outbreak in America,” Becerra said in a statement. “Bob’s experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetre’s vast knowledge of our public health systems’ strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California stated on Monday, “It is not surprising that Bob Fenton was chosen for this crucial position by President Biden given the severity of the monkeypox outbreak and the need for a proven and skilled leader in emergency response. Throughout the COVID outbreak and tragic wildfires, Bob has been a crucial ally for California.”