Dec 2, 2022 - Health

Biden administration to lift monkeypox emergency declaration

Oriana González

Picture of a piece of paper that says "monkeypox vaccination" — Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Biden Administration plans to end the public health emergency for monkeypox, Axios has confirmed.

The big picture: The Department of Health and Human Services "does not expect to renew the emergency declaration," which is scheduled to end on Jan. 31, 2023, due to the low number of mpox cases in the U.S., according to a statement from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

The mpox public health emergency was first declared in August and was renewed in November.
The Washington Post first reported the story.

By the numbers: Since Nov. 25, there have been fewer than 10 mpox cases per day, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of daily cases peaked in the summer, with 459 recorded on Aug. 6.

State of play: HHS anticipates that the outbreak's trajectory will continue downward over the next two months. If conditions change, the administration could consider reinstating the mpox PHE.

What they're saying: While the emergency declaration has an end in sight, "we won’t take our foot off the gas — we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine," Becerra said.

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional details throughout

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Biden administration to lift monkeypox emergency declaration

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