Biden taps FEMA’s Robert Fenton to head Monkeypox response

The White House announced Tuesday that FEMA regional Administrator Robert J. Fenton Jr. will the lead the national, coordinated response to the Monkeypox outbreak. 

Fenton had previously overseen the federal implementation of COVID-19 vaccination centers. 

"We simply wouldn’t be where we are today in our nation’s fight against COVID-19 without the expertise and leadership of Bob Fenton," said Jeff Zients, a former White House coronavirus response coordinator.  

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, has been selected as deputy to Fenton. 

Daskalakis has spent the past few months doing outreach to members of the county's LGBT community about how they are specially at risks for contracting the virus. 

Over 5,800 Monkeypox cases have been confirmed nationwide, with 95% of them occurring in gay or bisexual men.

The governors in California, Illinois, and New York have declared a state of emergency following surging cases in each state. 

"Bob Fenton and Dr. Daskalakis are proven, effective leaders that will lead a whole of government effort to implement President Biden's comprehensive monkeypox response strategy with the urgency that this outbreak warrants," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser.