Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) is calling for an urgent federal response to the ongoing monkeypox virus outbreak. She was joined by all of her Democratic colleagues from Washington state.
“As monkeypox cases rise in Washington state and across our nation, it is critical that we act now to keep our communities safe and healthy,” said Strickland. “We have a responsibility to protect the public’s health. While this virus can impact anyone, it is currently disproportionately impacting some communities more than others. The National Monkeypox Response Coordinator must increase vaccine availability, implement rapid testing, employ effective community outreach, and establish clear public health guidelines so we can stop the spread.”
The full letter text can be found below and here.
Dear Coordinator Fenton and Deputy Coordinator Daskalakis,
Congratulations on your appointments to lead our nation’s response to monkeypox (MPV) and thank you for the outstanding work to keep Americans safe from communicable diseases. We appreciate the Administration’s monitoring of the MPV situation and designating it as a Public Health Emergency.
As our home state of Washington and our nation continue to grapple with this emergency in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we stand ready to increase outreach to key communities and scale up availability of testing and vaccines.
According to the most recent available Center for Disease Control (CDC) data, most (94 percent) reported cases of MPV in the United States are from men who have sex with men (MSM). To properly address this outbreak, it is critical that this group has accurate and clear information on MPV including how it spreads, how to avoid it, key symptoms, how to get tested, and access to treatment.
At the same time, MPV is not confined to one demographic. Therefore, it is critical that any communication and outreach on MPV is carefully calibrated to avoid stigmatization and misunderstanding about the nature of the disease. This is key to cultivating a society-wide knowledge about MPV and the risks it poses.
We also strongly urge you to develop clear guidance and standards for potential high transmission behaviors and environments. In Washington, there are a number of concerns that health officials have expressed as MPV evolves, including but not limited to the start of school in the fall. In the event of an outbreak, it is critical that at-risk populations and leaders have guidance on how to respond quickly and safely.
One of the lessons of COVID-19 is that containing an outbreak requires adequate and rapid testing capacity. We urge you to take all necessary actions to provide needed resources such as lab supplies, testing materials, and funds for staffing to overcome impediments to timely testing and diagnosis. We further ask you to explore all possible means to develop rapid and on-site testing, including working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite consideration of any potential tests.
We appreciate the efforts the federal government has taken so far to ramp up production of the Jynneos vaccine and distribute available doses to states. We also applaud the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of dose-splitting for Jynneos, potentially increasing available supply five-fold.
As cases double roughly every week in Washington State, demand and need for vaccines still far outstrips supply. Delivery of the vaccine has been slow and inefficient. Local and state health agencies are turning people away because there is not enough to cover high-risk groups. We are ready to work with you and await your recommendation to accelerate the production and distribution of this vaccine.
Thank you for your efforts on the front lines of our nation’s battle against disease and sickness. We look forward to working with you to minimize and eliminate the threat of MPV. Sincerely,
Rep. Strickland, Rep. DelBene, Rep. Jayapal, Rep.Kilmer, Rep. Larsen, Rep. Schrier, Rep. Smith.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and is the only African-American woman who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress and is the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.
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