Monkeypox and the era of overlapping health crises

Another virus, another public health emergency. Since monkeypox was first detected in the United States in mid-May, the number of confirmed cases has grown to more than 7,500. Is our public health infrastructure equipped to respond while we’re still dealing with the lingering COVID-19 pandemic? On the show today, Kimberly and guest host Meghan McCarty Carino speak with epidemiologist Celine Gounder, about monkeypox, why our public health system is unprepared to handle another crisis and what climate change has to do with this new normal. Here’s everything we talked about today: “As Monkeypox Spreads, U.S. Declares a Health Emergency” from The New York Times “What Should Worry Most Americans About Our Monkeypox Response” from The Atlantic “Biden administration estimates U.S. may need nearly $7 billion for monkeypox” from The Washington Post “US Productivity Falls for Second Quarter as Economy Shrinks, Labor Costs Surge” from Bloomberg “Biden signs China competition bill to boost U.S. chipmakers” from CNBC We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question: What is something you thought you knew but later found out you were wrong about? Send us a voice memo at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART.