In the text released by The Hill newspaper, the National Mpox Task Force provided recommendations for building a robust public health system and also stressed the need for a federal financial support plan that includes increased investment in the sector.

The signatories called on Biden´s administration to prioritize public health actions that address racial and geographic health disparities at the onset of emergencies, rather than addressing them after they have already happened or become entrenched.

In turn, they urged for more federal funds for community-based programs including local clinics for treating sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

“Too many people have suffered needlessly and the frontline organizations responding to this outbreak exhausted their own limited funds to provide information, health care and support to their communities,” the letter specified.

“Mpox was the first new domestic infectious disease that tested many health systems put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides a roadmap for being ready to next outbreak,” the text read.

While this message urged Joe Biden for strengthening interagency collaboration and communication to contain the spread of the disease, it noted that the main focus was on “expressing our deep concern about the nation’s preparedness for future outbreaks.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 30,000 mpox cases have been reported in the country since May 2022.

Several investigations into mpox spread nationwide found marked disparities in infection ratings among Black people and Hispanic Americans, who accounted for a disproportionate share of those diagnosed relative to their share of the population, The Hill recalled.

Pll/jha/cgc