World News: Monkeypox: US sounds alarm

Thursday, August 4

A man holds a sign urging increased access to the monkeypox vaccine during a protest in San Francisco on July 18, 2022. The mayor of San Francisco announced a legal state of emergency Thursday, July 28, 2022, over the growing number of monkeypox cases. The declaration allows officials to mobilize personnel and cut through red tape to get ahead of a public health crisis all too reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic that devastated San Francisco in the 1980s.

Public health emergency declared as cases rise.

We're breaking down all you need to know about monkeypox after it was declared a public health emergency in the United States. WNBA star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison. And four Louisville police officers were arrested on federal charges over Breonna Taylor's death.

👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. It's Thursday's biggest news.

But first, a message in a bottle was found by a Mississippi ship salvager, who tracked down the family and returned it to them. It was written by their late son 33 years ago.

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Monkeypox is now a public health emergency

The monkeypox outbreak in the United States is a public health emergency, the Biden administration declared Thursday, a move that could make it easier to tap funding and government resources to combat the once-rare disease. Read more.

Here's what you should know:

•	US has the biggest monkeypox outbreak: More than 6,600 Americans have been diagnosed since mid-May. The virus, a less-deadly cousin of smallpox, has now triggered a 26,000-person global emergency, reaching 83 countries. But the full extent of America's outbreak is unknown.
•	Monkeypox is transmitted person-to-person, usually through close contact with respiratory secretions, infected skin lesions or recently contaminated objects, according to the World Health Organization.
•	Vaccines can be used to prevent monkeypox both before and after exposure, but there haven't been enough available. As of July 22, the Biden administration had shipped out 300,000 doses of monkeypox vaccines across the country.

👉 As the outbreak grows, here's a look at monkeypox cases in each state.

People stand in long lines to receive the monkeypox vaccine at San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco, Tuesday, July 12, 2022.

Jessica Christian, via AP

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Dealing with the spread

Monkeypox began to spread as the world was still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike COVID-19, it is not a new disease and it's not as transmissible. But officials are running into some of the same issues they faced at the start of the pandemic. For example, testing for monkeypox was initially difficult in the U.S. as laboratories were not equipped for it. This week, President Joe Biden picked top officials at FEMA and the CDC to lead the administration's strategy to combat the outbreak, including increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments. Read more.

•	'Bursts of sharp jabbing pain': What it's like to have monkeypox – and the fight against stigma.
•	Opinion: Monkeypox is here and spreading. But the US is well prepared to handle the threat.

People protest during a rally calling for more government action to combat the spread of monkeypox at Foley Square on July 21, 2022, in New York City.

Jeenah Moon, Getty Images

Monkeypox myths and questions

No, you can't catch monkeypox from monkeys. Yes, there is an effective vaccine. No, it's not only for gay men. There are a lot of misconceptions and questions floating around. Here's what you should know.

•	No, it is not a sexually transmitted infection: Close or intimate contact can transmit monkeypox. While the outbreak has mainly affected men who have sex with men, the virus doesn't care who is infected.
•	No, you can't catch monkeypox from a handshake or a toilet seat: Caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox, monkeypox is transmissible through person-to-person contact with rashes, scabs or bodily fluids, touching infected items like clothing, as well as contact with respiratory secretions.
•	Who should get a vaccine? Men who have sex with men and others at high risk, including health care workers who treat patients with monkeypox and family members of those infected, should get vaccinated if possible, doctors say.

👉 Monkeypox is spreading through sex, but it's not an STI. Why calling it one is a problem.

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Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison

A Russian judge sentenced Brittney Griner to nine years in a penal colony after the WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist was found guilty of drug possession. Russian officials said she carried vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage; Griner said she accidentally packed them in haste. With the trial over, negotiations to free Griner are expected to continue between Washington and Moscow during a period of tension between the two countries. Read more about what's next for Griner.

•	Timeline: What has happened since the WNBA star was detained.
•	More on cannabis: Griner's hashish use is normal in America. But Russia's drug laws are 'draconian.'

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner shakes hands with her laywer as she listens a verdict standing in a cage in a courtroom in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 4, 2022. A judge in Russia has convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced her to nine years in prison.

Evgenia Novozhenina, AP

Feds charge 4 officers in Breonna Taylor shooting

Four Louisville police officers involved in the deadly raid at Breonna Taylor's home were charged Thursday with civil-rights violations, the Justice Department announced, including a former detective who was fired for lying on the search warrant that led to her death. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced federal charges against former officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison, Kelly Goodlett and Sgt. Kyle Meany. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker, was shot to death when police knocked down her door while executing the search warrant. Read more about the charges here.

•	Timeline: What happened the night police fatally shot Breonna Taylor.
•	Why were police at Taylor's home? What an investigative summary says.
•	No-knock warrants: A growing legacy of controversy, revised laws, tragic deaths.

A mural of Breonna Taylor adorns the basketball court in Lannan Park in the Portland neighborhood on June 15, 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Jeff Faughender, Courier Journal

A break from the news

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Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.