Monkeypox: CDC Activates 'Emergency Operations Center'; US To Offer More Vaccines

Monkeypox: CDC Activates 'Emergency Operations Center'; US To Offer More Vaccines

KEY POINTS

  • The EOC will "further increase operational support" for monkeypox response
  • More vaccines will be sent to states with the highest number of cases 
  • Increased testing capacity will also make testing easier and more convenient

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is activating its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. The Biden-Harris Administration has also announced plans to offer more vaccines.

The CDC has activated the EOC as a part of its "aggressive" response to the monkeypox outbreak, it noted in a news release Tuesday. According to the CDC, the EOC "brings together highly trained experts and state-of-the-art technology to coordinate resources, information and crisis and emergency risk communication to strengthen our nation's ability to detect and respond to public health threats."

The EOC can also be activated for other public health emergencies such as natural disasters, foodborne outbreaks, oil spills and other disease outbreaks such as the Ebola and Zika virus. It is currently activated for COVID-19, CNN reported. Activating it for monkeypox would "further increase operational support" needed to respond to the outbreak, according to the CDC.