California's Ruiz urges president to invoke Defense Production Act to 'protect our communities' from monkeypox

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U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz said in a recent tweet that he is beseeching President Joe Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to ensure the availability of more monkeypox vaccines. | Congressman Raul Ruiz/Facebook

U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) said in a recent tweet that he is beseeching President Joe Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to ensure the availability of more monkeypox vaccines. Riverside County health officials reported five new confirmed cases on Monday.

"Vaccines are the safest way to protect our families and communities. This National Immunization Awareness Month, I am urging @POTUS to invoke the Defense Production Act to create more monkeypox vaccines and protect our communities from this virus," Ruiz, who represents District 36, said Monday on Twitter.

According to monkeypox data from the Riverside University Health System — Public Health, the five new cases brings the total in Riverside County to 128. Palm Springs had the highest number of cases with 67, followed by Cathedral City with 21, Riverside with seven, and Desert Hot Springs and Palm Desert both with five. Their data suggests that, so far, monkeypox has affected the LGBT community disproportionately with 41% of people with the virus identifying as gay, lesbian or "same-gender loving."

California as a whole has seen 2,663 monkeypox cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the U.S. was up to 15,433 this week.

With monkeypox occurrences on the rise, Riverside Health declared a local health emergency on Aug. 8. According to Riverside Health's emergency proclamation, monkeypox is spread through "prolonged skin-to-skin contact" and causes symptoms that include rashes, fever, muscle aches and respiratory problems. Most cases of the disease are resolved in a few weeks, however, severe symptoms can result in hospitalization and, in rare cases, death.