August 3, 2022: -On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a state of emergency regarding the growing monkeypox outbreak, the third state in the U.S. to do so in some days.

Newsom stated that the emergency order would support the state’s vaccination efforts. Demand for the vaccines has come out as supply as conditions grow.

Staff at sexual health clinics and different sites have struggled to keep up with the influx of people who seeks the shots.

California mobilizes personnel from its Emergency Medical Services to help administer the vaccines. Newsom added that the state is operating across all levels of government to slow the spread through testing, contract tracing, and community outreach.

California’s statement comes after Illinois proclaimed a public health emergency on Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the U.S. had reported almost 6,000 cases of monkeypox all over the 48 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The outbreak has extended swiftly since health authorities in Boston confirmed the first U.S. case in May.

California, Illinois, and New York, home to the nation’s three largest cities, have said 47% of all confirmed monkeypox conditions in the U.S. New York is the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., with almost 1,400 confirmed cases as of Monday.

Monkeypox is rarely lethal, and no deaths have been reported in the U.S. But a few patients suffer excruciating pain from the rash caused by the virus. Scientists and public health officials are concerned monkeypox could circulate in the U.S. if the outbreak isn’t contained.

The World Health Organization stated monkeypox was a global health emergency last month. According to WHO data, over 19,000 monkeypox cases have been reported in 78 countries. The outbreak is unusual as the virus is spreading widely in North America and Europe. Monkeypox spread at low levels in West and Central Africa in the past, where rodents and different animals carry the virus.

Monkeypox is initially transmitted through skin-to-skin contact during sex. Almost 98% of patients who provided demographic information to clinics identified as men who have sex with men, according to the CDC.