On Thursday, Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra delcared a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak.

Fox News reports:

“In light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency on #monkeypox,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.”

The monkeypox outbreak has infected more than 6,600 Americans. The emergency declaration frees up federal money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body. A public health emergency can be extended, similar to what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House said it has made more than 1.1 million vaccine doses available and helped boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week.

Last week, the World Health Organization called monkeypox a public health emergency, with cases in more than 70 countries. A global emergency is the WHO’s highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal.