New York City authorities on Saturday declared a public health emergency over the spread of the monkeypox virus. Calling the city the “epicenter” of the outbreak, Mayor Eric Adams and health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said up to 150,000 “may currently be at risk for monkeypox exposure.” “This outbreak must be met with urgency, action, and resources, both nationally and globally, and this declaration of a public health emergency reflects the seriousness of the moment,” they said in a joint statement. The declaration is intended to help authorities slow the spread by using emergency measures. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency over the outbreak just a day earlier, warning that “more than one in four monkeypox cases in this country” are in the state.