Robert Fenton speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington in 2021. Photo: Greg Nash/The Hill/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Biden administration on Tuesday named veteran FEMA official Robert Fenton to lead the government's response to the monkeypox outbreak.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has faced mounting pressure to do more to stop the spread of monkeypox, which has prompted three states to declare health emergencies.
Driving the news: Fenton, a FEMA regional administrator, has over 25 years of experience in federal emergency response and will serve as the White House national monkeypox response coordinator.
- Demetre Daskalakis, currently the director of the CDC Division of HIV prevention, will serve as the administration's deputy coordinator.
- The two will "lead the administration’s strategy and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak, including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments," per a White House statement.
What they're saying: "Bob Fenton and Dr. Daskalakis are proven, effective leaders that will lead a whole of government effort to implement President Biden’s comprehensive monkeypox response strategy with the urgency that this outbreak warrants," Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a statement.
The big picture: Fenton currently serves as regional administrator for FEMA in the American West, with nearly 50 million people in his area of responsibility.
- Daskalakis is a widely known national expert on health issues affecting the LGBTQ community.
- Fenton and Daskalakis combined have over four decades of experience in Federal emergency response and public health leadership, the White House said.
State of play: California and Illinois on Monday joined New York state and the city of San Francisco in declaring a health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.
- The World Health Organization last month declared the outbreak of the virus a global health emergency.
Go deeper... California, Illinois declare health emergency over monkeypox outbreak