Board ratifies San Francisco health officerdeclaration of local emergency for monkeypox; DPH pledges expanded outreach and vaccine requests

San Francisco—The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Aug. 8 unanimously ratified a local health emergency declared Aug. 1 by the cityand county health officer in response to a rapid increase in monkeypox cases.

The ratification, taken at a special meeting called by Board President Walton, gives the Department of Public Health (DPH) additional administrative tools to coordinate outreach, vaccine distribution, testing and treatment during the outbreak. Dr. Susan Philip, the cityand county health officer, told the board that as of 5 p.m. on Aug. 5 the department had confirmed 444 probable and confirmed cases in San Francisco and that more cases were expected.

"I issued this declaration to direct and harness resources, including efforts to obtain additional vaccine supply," Dr. Philip said, urging the board to ratify the declaration. DPH Director Dr. Grant Colfax described the departmentand its community partnersas working to confront stigma while prioritizing culturally competent information and services. "We are committed to ensuring that the stigma and discrimination ... is being confronted head on," Colfax said.

DPH described vaccine supply as a principal constraint. Dr. Philip said the city was allotted more than 10,000 additional doses from the state this week and that, to begin to meet…