Biden Names Monkeypox Coordinator as States Declare Emergencies

President Joe Biden chose a federal official to lead US monkeypox response efforts as rising case numbers prompted California and Illinois to join New York in declaring the outbreak an emergency.

Robert Fenton, a regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be White House monkeypox response coordinator, while Demetre Daskalakis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be Fenton’s deputy, according to a statement early Tuesday. Among their goals will be increasing equitable access to tests, vaccines and treatments.

US monkeypox infections rose to a global high of 5,811 on Monday, up from about ...