U.S. declares public health emergency over monkeypox

The U.S. government on Thursday declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the country, more than a week after the World Health Organization qualified the outbreak as a global emergency.

"We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously," Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters during a briefing.

As of Thursday, the United States has confirmed more than 6,600 cases of monkeypox, nearly 25 percent of the global total of 25,800 so far.