With Covid-19, and now monkeypox, we were too slow to respond. It is now clear: Preparedness alone does not guarantee a rapid response. That is almost 25% of the global numbers, even though we are just under 5% of the world’s population. As of today, we have the most confirmed cases of monkeypox on the planet, more than 5,000.
Instead, we are leading in a different way. 1 for pandemic preparedness in the 2021 Global Health Security Index. The United States is extraordinarily prepared, ranked No. But why do we wait so long, drag our feet and endure so much suffering in the meantime?Īs I have learned over the past few years, there is a significant difference between preparedness and response, even though the two are often conflated. And there is little doubt we will eventually do what should have already been done: declare monkeypox a public health emergency, appoint a national coordinator and mount a more significant response. With all those resources and technology, it’s not as if the United States is incapable of mounting a significant response to an emerging outbreak. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, spending more than $4 trillion dollars a year on health care, more per person than anywhere else. There are nearly 2 million courses the highly effective TPOXX antiviral sitting in the Strategic National Stockpile, but many health care providers are still having a hard time getting the medication for their patients. The demand for vaccines is outpacing the supply. Testing for the monkeypox virus, once very limited, is now more available, but underused.
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