THE KEY.
THE KEY. >>VIC MICOLUCCI: WHILE MONKEYPOX IS NOW A FEDERAL
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY,
FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
SAYS HE WILL NOT DECLARE IT
ONE IN THE STATE DESPITE MORE
THAN 500 CASES HERE TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ALL
OF US. DOCTOR SHELLAC A CUT TO
THE SYSTEM. MEDICAL DIRECTOR
FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE AT
BAPTIST HEALTH IS JOINING US.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU. GOOD
MORNING. SO THIS IS A HOT
TOPIC, DOCTOR, AND IT’S
BECOMING VERY POLITICAL. YOU
CAN SEE THE GOVERNOR TAKING A
STANCE HERE. HIS OPPONENTS
COMING OUT DIFFERENTLY. WHAT
WE REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT IS
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY SO
FEDERALLY? IT IS RIGHT NOW.
TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT ACTUALLY
MEANS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC
SHORT.
>> SO YESTERDAY BIDEN WENT
AHEAD AND MADE THIS A FEDERAL
EMERGENCY. SO WHAT A PUBLIC
HEALTH EMERGENCY IS IS AN
EVENT THAT USUALLY ACCIDENT.
IT’S AN EVENT THAT OUTCOMES
COULD BE CALAMITOUS AND ITS
EVENT THAT USUALLY CANNOT BE
AVOIDED BY OTHER ORDINARY IN
THESE. SO IT SPEAKS TO 2
FACTORS. ONE IS RESOURCES FOR
PEOPLE. AND ONE IS RESPONSE.
AND SO IN TERMS OF RESOURCES,
IT’S NOT JUST FUNDING WHICH
TODAY-IT’S USING EMERGENCY
MONEY FOR A RAINY DAY. BUT
IT’S ALSO RESOURCES IN TERMS
OF PERSONNEL ASSEMBLING TASK
FORCES. IT’S THE AMOUNT THAT
AGENCIES REPORT BACK AND THEN
IT’S ABOUT EDUCATION. SO MANY
DOCTORS HAVE NEVER SEEN
MONKEYPOX BEFORE. SO IT’S
EDUCATING DOCTORS AS TO WHAT
TO LOOK FOR HOW TO TEST
BECAUSE OUR TESTS ARE HIGHLY
UNDERUTILIZED RIGHT NOW HOW TO
GET VACCINE AND HOW TO GET
ANTIVIRALS. AND THEN ON THE
OTHER SIDE IN TERMS OF
RESPONSE FOR THE PROTECTION AS
THE SAFETY OF INDIVIDUALS, WE
HAVE SOME SAFEGUARDS. FOR
EXAMPLE, WHAT I’M TALKING
ABOUT HIS PAPERWORK IN TERMS
OF GETTING AND YOU KNOW,
QUALIFICATIONS IN TERMS OF
GETTING THE ANTIVIRAL AGENTS
ARE THE VACCINES. SO HOPEFULLY
BY MAKING IT AN EMERGENCY
SITUATION, WE CAN ACTUALLY GET
RID OF SOME OF THESE WHAT WE
ARE NOW ALMOST BECOMING
BARRIERS TO GET DOCTORS ACCESS
TO THINGS THAT THEY NEED.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THERE’S A
STARK DIFFERENCE RIGHT NOW
BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT.
PRESIDENT BIDEN, GOVERNOR
DESANTIS HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT
VIEWPOINT ON THIS. WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN FOR THE DOCTORS AND
ULTIMATELY THE PATIENTS WHO
WANT THAT CARE STORE. SO I’M A
MEDICAL EXPERT. AND WHAT I CAN
SPEAK TO IS THAT WE STILL HAVE
RESOURCES IN FLORIDA.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: SO I I WANT
TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT WE
STILL HAVE RESOURCES IN
FLORIDA AND HOW TO GET THEM.
AND THAT’S WHY THEY’RE OK. SO
CERTAINLY WE DO HAVE THE
RESOURCES HERE. IF YOU’RE
LOOKING AT THE SITUATION AND
IT SEEMS LIKE THE EARLY DAYS
OF COVID-19.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: WHEN WE’RE
TRYING TO LEARN ABOUT TESTING
ABOUT WHAT THE TREATMENT
OPTIONS WERE ABOUT, EDUCATING
THE MEDICAL TEAMS AS WELL AS
THE GENERAL PUBLIC. DO YOU SEE
THAT RELATION?
>> YES, SO CERTAINLY THIS IS A
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
BECAUSE IT COULD SPIRAL. SO
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS ACT NOW
AND WORK NOW TO PREVENT THIS
FROM A GENERAL YOU KNOW, VIRUS
THAT WE’RE ALL SEEN. AND SO WE
HAVE A VACCINE AVAILABLE. AND
SO THE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE IN
FLORIDA AND IT IS AVAILABLE
THROUGH DUVAL. AND SO RIGHT
NOW, WHENEVER THERE’S A
LIMITED SUPPLY OF THE VACCINE
ROLLED OUT. AND SO RIGHT NOW
IN DUVAL WHERE IN SOMETHING
CALLED PHASE ONE, WHICH MEANS
ONLY THOSE WERE VERY HIGH
RISK, GET IT. BUT THE GOAL
WILL BE TO GET IT TO ALL
INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN
POTENTIALLY GET IT, WHICH
WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ALL MEN
WHO HAVE WITH MEN, ALL
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HIGH
RISK.
>> SOMETIME IN THE NEAR
FUTURE, DO YOU THINK IN THE
FUTURE WE’RE GOING TO BE
SEEING A A PUSH FROM THE
GOVERNMENT AND FROM MEDICAL
EXPERTS FOR FOR EVERYBODY TO
HAVE THE VACCINE
>> IT’S HARD TO SAY RIGHT NOW.
IT IS A VACCINE THAT’S IN
LIMITED SUPPLY. AND SO RIGHT
NOW WHAT THE FOCUSES IS ON
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AT HIGHEST
RISK FOR GETTING THIS.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND FINALLY,
LET’S GO BACK TO MONKEYPOX.
LET’S LOOK AT THE BROAD
PICTURE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
FIRST SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS THAT
SOMEONE MAY HAVE THIS AND
NEEDS TO GO SEE A MEDICAL
EXPERT RIGHT AWAY. SURE.
>> SO ITS FIRST OFF, IT’S RASH
AND THE RASH. I’M SURE MANY
PEOPLE HAVE SEEN PICTURES NOW,
BUT THEY LOOK A LITTLE LIKE
PUS-FILLED BLISTERS OR THEY
CAN BE HARD. THEY CAN BE
PAINFUL. OTHER SYMPTOMS ARE
MALAISE. FEVER, PROMINENT
LYMPH NODES. SO ANYTIME ANYONE
SEES A RASH NOW AND THEY COULD
HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN EXPOSED
OR THEY JUST HAVE A RASH,
WE’RE ENCOURAGING INDIVIDUALS
TO SEEK HEALTH CARE GO TO A
DOCTOR. GO TO THE HOSPITAL. GO
TO SOMEBODY WHO IS RESEARCHING
THIS. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE
TREATMENT OPTIONS ARE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR
FOR COMING ON REPRESENTING
BAPTIST HEALTH AND AND WE KNOW
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION
BECAUSE WE ARE JUST GETTING TO
THE POINT WHERE IT’S IT’S
GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO