Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra issued the following statement in response to the World Health Organization’s decision to declare monkeypox a global health emergency:

“Today’s declaration by the World Health Organization is a call to action for the global health community. Monkeypox has spread around the world and we will continue to take decisive action to tackle it both here in the U.S. and, working in concert with our partners abroad, globally.

“Since the first U.S. case of monkeypox was confirmed on May 18, the Biden-Harris Administration has acted swiftly to make vaccines, testing, and treatments available to people in need. We are determined to accelerate our response in the days ahead.”