This 2003 electron microscopic (EM) image depicted a monkeypox virion, obtained from a clinical sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. It was a thin section image from of a human skin sample. On the left were mature, oval-shaped virus particles, and on the right were the crescents, and spherical particles of immature virions. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith/Russell Regnery/CDC via Bay City News)

California is “looking carefully” at declaring a public health emergency for monkeypox to make more resources available to combat the outbreak, the state’s lead public health official said Friday.

Dr. Tomás Aragón, the state’s public health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health, argued the state is far more prepared to deal with the outbreak than it would have been before the COVID-19 pandemic and has utilized information gathered over the last two years about case investigation and surveillance to combat the monkeypox outbreak.

Continue reading for free

Sign in to read this story and receive the weekly roundup in your inbox.

Or

Terms & Conditions

Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in.
Please visit My Account to manage your account.

Eli covers public health, transportation and state politics for the Bay City News Foundation, serves as the main editor of the Public Health and COVID-19 Information Hub and assists with Local News Matters' social media strategy. He has also previously covered local politics in San Diego County as well as college and professional sports across the Bay Area.