The City of Austin and Travis County declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Tuesday, August 9, and now the Austin City Council is adding an emergency item to its Thursday agenda.
The Council will consider a resolution ratifying a Declaration of Local State of Disaster in response to concerns related to cases of monkeypox in Austin-Travis County; and consenting to a continuation of the disaster declaration for a period of more than seven days.
Austin Public Health says monkeypox represents an imminent threat to public health and safety.
The overwhelming majority of monkeypox cases in the area involve men within the LGBT community, and typically spreads through direct person-to-person contact with sores or lesions. However, Austin Public Health continues to believe that everyone is at risk.
