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WHO declares monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency"

WHO declares monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency"
WHO declares monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency" 02:15

The monkeypox outbreak continues to worsen. And the World Health Organization has now declared it a public health emergency. 

Health officials say more than 2,890 U.S. cases have been reported so far. Of those, there have been two pediatric cases, including one in California. 

Nearly 17,000 cases have been reported worldwide. In the U.S. and Europe, the vast majority of infections have happened in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus, the Associated Press reported.  

In California, there have been 350 cases reported, including in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Ventura. Of the U.S. cases known to officials, at least eight women were among those with monkeypox.   

Officials have said the virus can spread quickly and is typically spread through close personal contact, and via towels and bedding.

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