Dr. Don Weiss was transferred to a different unit after publicly criticizing the Well being Division's recommendation to homosexual males about decreasing the transmission of monkeypox.
POOL/AFP through Getty Photographs
A veteran high an infection management specialist on the metropolis Well being Division claimed he was reassigned in “retaliation” after having a dispute with brass over monkeypox messaging.
Dr. Don Weiss, director of surveillance, was transferred to a different unit after publicly criticizing the division’s recommendation to homosexual males about decreasing the transmission of monkeypox.
He repeated his barbs in a July 18 letter to Well being Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, which he posted on his web site.
The reassignment was first reported by Gothamist.com.
Weiss accused the division of providing deceptive data by suggesting that having intercourse whereas contaminated with monkeypox may very well be made safer if individuals prevented kissing and lined their sores.
He argued that abstaining or decreasing intercourse for a time period was one of the best ways to restrict the unfold of monkeypox.
“Monkeypox in NYC is a sexually transmitted an infection. Not speaking this clearly and sometimes is a public well being failure,” Weiss mentioned within the letter to Vasan.
“DOHMH continues to emphasise skin-to-skin contact as the foremost threat and have now dangerously advised that intercourse just isn't a threat, so long as you don’t kiss and canopy your sores. That is fully opposite to the proof.”
He mentioned that division management “is extra involved with stigma avoidance” for homosexual males relatively than “giving individuals the chance data they should defend themselves and others. Persons are struggling.”
4 days later, Weiss obtained a letter from Sean McFarlane, assistant commissioner who oversees personnel and labor relations, notifying him that he had been reassigned to the division of household and youngster well being efficient Monday and that his new title was “toddler and reproductive well being medical specialist.” The letter is posted on his web site.
McFarlane mentioned Weiss’ wage would stay unchanged, based on the letter.
Weiss additionally posted an audio recording of a dialog he had with a well being division official who wouldn't inform him who ordered his reassignment.
Noting that the reassignment got here simply days after publicly taking subject with division brass over monkeypox steering, Weiss mentioned, “You might be conscious beneath the whistleblower statute that you simply can't do any retribution to me for my coming ahead with data that I believed was obligatory for the general public to know?”
“This may very well be seen as retribution, particularly the timing of it.”
He additionally requested if he may attraction the choice of his reassignment and was denied as a result of it was a reorganization.
The well being division had no speedy remark.
However The World Well being Group director basic, in new steering issued Wednesday agreed with Weiss’ method — saying males who've intercourse with males ought to restrict the variety of sexual companions they've to scale back their threat of contracting monkeypox.
In the meantime, state Well being Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett Thursday declared monkeypox an imminent public well being menace.
“Primarily based on the continued unfold of this virus, which has elevated quickly and affected primarily communities that establish as males who've intercourse with males, and the necessity for native jurisdictions to manage vaccines, I’ve declared monkeypox an Imminent Menace to Public Well being all through New York State,” Bassett mentioned.
“This declaration implies that native well being departments engaged in response and prevention actions will have the ability to entry extra State reimbursement, after different Federal and State funding sources are maximized, to guard all New Yorkers and finally restrict the unfold of monkeypox in our communities.”
It was revealed earlier Thursday that New York state will obtain 110,000 new doses of the monkeypox vaccine — with 80,000 coming to the Huge Apple alone — because the Biden administration lastly launched the inventory of pictures and is predicted to declare the virus a public well being emergency.
Aides to Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-NY) advised The Submit that the brand new allocation is coming to New York from the pot of 786,000 monkeypox vaccines beforehand caught in Denmark because of an FDA snafu.
The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has recorded 4,639 confirmed instances of monkeypox within the US as of Wednesday, together with 1,228 in New York state.
In New York Metropolis alone, 1,148 have been identified, based on the information.
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