Two years ago, “PHE” probably wasn’t one of the health care acronyms that everyone immediately understood. COVID changed that and monkeypox has reinforced the learning with the declaration made by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on August 4, 2022.

When the Secretary identifies a public health emergency (PHE), it triggers a wide range of potential additional actions. The Secretary can access funds to make grants, facilitate coordination of relevant entities, modify practice of telemedicine, provide supplies, equipment, and services, and more. The trigger for CMS waivers requires an additional Presidential declaration of emergency or disaster.

Aside from the possible federal actions, the announcement of the monkeypox PHE should serve as a strong reminder to all health care provider organizations that the identified source of the emergency represents a serious, communicable disease threat. Even absent additional regulatory mandates, health care organizations are expected to respond by taking steps to protect patients and health care workers.

A PHE lasts for as long as the threat exists or 90 days, with renewals available. The COVID PHE was originally declared in January 2020 and has been extended 11 times to date, most recently in July 2022. It is critical to remember that long-standing crises do not minimize the importance of renewed precautions against the spread of a new threat.

The World Health Organization states that human-to-human transmission of the monkeypox virus can result from close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person, or recently contaminated objects. Standard infection control precautions should be used.