The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is committing $15 million to address the global monkeypox outbreak, an official told The National on Friday.
The funds will go towards technical assistance in low- and middle-income countries, as well as providing diagnostic tests, laboratory tools, protective equipment and public education.
More than 57,000 monkeypox cases have been recorded globally, data from the World Health Organisation show.
“We are committed in working to contain monkeypox and ultimately bring it under control, protecting countries around the world and the United States,” a USAID official told The National on background.
“Ending the monkeypox outbreak is a priority for the United States.”
The White House monkeypox response co-ordination team announced its global effort during a briefing on Wednesday.
“We’ve established a global task force across multiple different federal agencies to focus co-ordination to other countries and the WHO to ensure that we have a responsibility to assist and help some of those countries that may not have the resources to do that,” the team's co-ordinator Bob Fenton said.
While the US leads the world in number of cases, President Joe Biden's administration has faced questions about its role in assisting other countries with their outbreaks.
The WHO declared a global public health emergency in July, calling the spread of the disease in non-endemic countries “extraordinary”.
“Our goal is to really control this outbreak in the US,” deputy co-ordinator Demetre Daskalakis said.
He added that the team is “also thinking about the global environment and making sure that we don’t just address what’s happening in the US but also think about the rest of the world, because infections that happen there will affect us as well”.
USAID has formed an internal monkeypox response team with the agency's Jeremy Konyndyk and the CDC's Hank Tomlinson.
The agency did not provide information on whether vaccinations would be part of its global response.
The new commitment of funds was first reported by Politico.
The current outbreak is mainly affecting gay men and other members of the LGBTQ community.
Symptoms of monkeypox include painful rashes and body lesions, and infected people are required to isolate for three to four weeks.
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People queue to receive the monkeypox vaccine at a hospital in San Francisco, California. AP -
California's governor declared a state of emergency over monkeypox, making it the third state in three days to take the step. AP -
A man holds a sign calling for increased access to the monkeypox vaccine during a protest in San Francisco. AP -
The mayor of San Francisco announced a local state of emergency over the growing number of monkeypox cases. AP -
A pharmacist opens a freezer transport box containing the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox in San Francisco. AP -
Vials of single doses of the Jynneos shot for monkeypox are seen at the vaccine hub at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. AP -
A pharmacist removes a tray of vials of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox from a box containing 20 doses. AP -
People queue a monkeypox vaccination site in California. AP -
A public health worker administers the monkeypox vaccine in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
Nurses speak with a person looking to receive a monkeypox vaccine at a drive-through vaccination site at the Westchester Medical Centre in Valhalla, New York. Reuters -
People protest during a rally calling for more government action to combat the spread of monkeypox at Foley Square in New York City. AFP -
People protest during a rally over the US response to the monkeypox outbreak in Manhattan, New York City. AFP -
People queue to receive the monkeypox vaccine before the opening of a new mass vaccination site in Brooklyn, New York City. AFP -
A person waits to receive the monkeypox vaccine in New York City. AFP
