United States STI Directors Warn of Lack of Mpox Preparedness & Funding as WHO Declares Public Health Emergency 

GAO tracker reveals failures to learn from 2022 outbreak 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 14, 2024
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, efinley@ncsddc.org, (919) 749-7309 

Washington, DC – Today the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency for mpox, but an April report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows the U.S. failed to integrate key lessons learned from the initial 2022 mpox outbreak in the U.S. The 2022 outbreak impacted more than 30,000 people, but currently the federal government has discontinued high-level response efforts. Among its recommendations, the GAO stated that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services should strengthen its internal mpox response efforts among various federal agencies and increase coordination with directly impacted communities – recommendations that appear not to have been implemented. David C. Harvey, Executive Director of NCSD, issued the following statement on behalf of the National Coalition of STD Directors: 

“Today the World Health Organization announced a global health emergency over the rapid spread of a deadlier mpox strain in Africa, and our nation is not ready for this looming threat. This Spring the GAO issued a tough report about America’s vulnerability for another outbreak of mpox. The GAO report outlined specific recommendations based on lessons learned from the 2022 outbreak, but the U.S. government has not taken crucial steps outlined in the report to protect Americans from another deadlier outbreak.”  

“During the 2022 mpox outbreak, STI clinics and the public health community did everything possible to rise to the challenge. Their work saved lives and prevented more people from suffering, but they did it on their own dime and never received the ongoing funding they needed from Congress to provide the crucial testing, treatment, and prevention services required during a public health emergency.” 

“With the threat of a deadlier strain of mpox arriving on American shores on the back of a continuing out-of-control STI epidemic in America, it’s time for the federal government to get serious about funding STI public health programs, STI clinics, and a STI public health workforce of Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) to do what is needed to protect the health of Americans.  We call on Congress to allocate $322.5 million for STI prevention at CDC, and $200 million for STI clinical services at HRSA.  We also call for implementation of GAO recommendations on the mpox response that will benefit the entire STI field.” 

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