Monkeypox Now A Public Health Emergency

The countrywide impact of the current Monkeypox outbreak has driven officials from the federal government to increase the response to combat the spread of this virus.

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Earlier this week New York State declared a State of Emergency over this viral outbreak. New York leads the nation in positive Monkeypox infections and that number has only been increasing.

This new designation by the Feds allows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ramp up their response nationwide.

So far the two agencies have allocated 1.1 million doses of the Monkeypox vaccine to multiple states where the virus outbreak has really really taken hold.

President Biden has called on us to explore every option on the table to combat the monkeypox outbreak and protect communities at risk... We are applying lessons learned from the battles we’ve fought – from COVID response to wildfires to measles, and will tackle this outbreak with the urgency this moment demands.
-Robert Fenton, Coordinator of the White House National Monkeypox Response Team

This is the major outbreak of the Monkeypox virus in the United States since 2003. The CDC has reported that the virus has been spreading very fast with more than 1,000 cases being reported in the last 3 days.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For more information about Monkeypox, its symptoms, and ways to keep yourself safe, you can check the New York State Health Departments Monkeypox Website right here.

The Symptoms and Signs of Monkey Pox

The New York Department of Health offers some tips on how New York residents, especially those with weakened immune systems, can prevent monkeypox,

- Ask your sexual partners whether they have a rash or other symptoms consistent with monkeypox.
- Avoid skin-to-skin contact with someone who has a rash or other monkeypox-related symptoms.
- If you are exposed or experience symptoms, make sure to reach out to a health care provider.

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These 7 Prisons Are The Most Violent In New York State

New York released a report with the most recent number of violent assaults on inmates in state prisons. There were 134 inmate deaths noted in the report, although it doesn't break down the prisons where each death occurred or who caused them. Here's a look at some of the general violent incidents reported for 2020, which is the most recent data reported by the state. Compared to 10 years ago, inmate assaults have almost doubled. In 2011 there were 666 and in 2020 there were 1,205 reported. These numbers do not include inmate assaults on staff members. Overall, the number of unusual incidents includes things like assaults, deaths, accidents, sexual misconduct, and disruptive behavior. According to the state,

"The number of unusual incidents has increased 132% from 5,980 in 2011 to 13,870 in 2020. These higher incident numbers were largely due to increases in assaults on incarcerated individuals (+81%), assaults on staff (+86%), contraband (+130%), disruptive behavior (+372%), and staff use of weapons (+1,035%)."

In 2020, 1,836 weapons used to cut or stab, including ice picks, razor blades, can lids and shanks were discovered in state prisons around New York.