By Omar Martínez González

CHICAGO, IL — On Monday the U.S. House of Representatives, led by New York Congressman Jerry Nadler (NY-10), delivered a letter to President Biden, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky requesting $100 million in funding, including at least $30 million for the STI field funded through the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, to ensure frontline clinicians and providers have the resources and infrastructure to implement the federal monkeypox response. 

Priorities for the requested funding include:

  • Ramping up outreach efforts to priority populations, including but not limited to same-gender loving men, to ensure they have the necessary information to stay healthy;

  • Support clinical education to ensure clinicians and other health care professionals can identify and properly diagnose monkeypox virus infection and differentiate it from other STIs, connect clients to treatment, pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, social services and other health care services; 

  • Develop more efficient diagnostic tools;

  • Scale up real-time surveillance and outbreak detection;

  • Bolster the public health workforce to ensure an adequate response to monkeypox to prevent the current outbreak from further exacerbating rising STI rates; and

  • Administering vaccines to communities and health care workers to bolster the response as needs arise.

Ten of the 18 House of Representatives Members of the Illinois Delegation co-signed this important letter. We want to thank the following Members for their leadership in the face of this growing outbreak:

  • Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-01)

  • Congresswoman Marie Newman (IL-03)

  • Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) 

  • Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05)

  • Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06)

  • Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-07)

  • Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08)

  • Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)

  • Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10)

  • Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11)

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared monkeypox virus a global public health threat, warning that monkeypox may spread beyond specific communities, and the U.S. is considering a national designation. Illinoisans are being turned away from vaccination sites due to lack of resources and there is confusion about where people can access testing. This funding will help to ensure Illinoisans can access the necessary information and resources to stay healthy, and to ensure monkeypox does not become endemic in the U.S. and our state.

For more information about the monkeypox virus, testing, and the vaccine, reach out to AFC’s Resource Hub at 1-844-HUB-4040.