Jeff Galaise speaks out about suffering with monkeypox: "I've never been this sick in my life"
NEW YORK - The Biden administration is considering declaring a public health emergency in response to the monkeypox outbreak.
The CDC confirms nearly 3,000 cases in the country, and says New York is the epicenter of the virus.
CBS2's Jessica Moore spoke with one man who is suffering with the disease right now, and trying to raise awareness and support for others.
"I've never been this sick in my life," said Jeff Galaise.
Galaise wants people to know the truth about monkeypox.
MONKEYPOX IN NYC: Identifying symptoms, prevention tips, how to get a vaccine and more
"I was trying so hard to get the vaccine last week and if I was able to get it last week I may not have been as sick, as I was," Galaise said.
This weekend, lines wrapped around city blocks as thousands of New Yorkers waited desperately for a vaccine. More than 10,000 doses were administered - not nearly enough to meet the demand.
Like many New Yorkers, Galaise spent weeks unsuccessfully trying to secure an appointment. Then he contracted COVID. A month later he got monkeypox.
"Having just had COVID and now getting monkeypox, how you compare them?" Moore asked.
"I was much sicker with monkeypox than COVID," Galaise said. "I couldn't eat anything at all. I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't look at anything. My groin was very swollen and tender... I've been telling people physically I'm a four, mentally I'm a 10."
That's because he's turned his pain into purpose, sharing his struggle on Instagram.
Doctors say people with monkeypox must isolate until all the sores on their body scab over and new skin grows, which can take up to four weeks.
With nearly 850 confirmed cases in the city and many more suspected, Galaise says hundreds of people are struggling to survive. He's on day nine of isolation - a luxury many don't have.
"I work for a very large city agency and there's no policy that says how long I can be out, like there is for COVID," Galaise said. "And I have a job that can pay me, you know? I have vacation. And what about people that don't?"
Galaise says a lack of education and resources around monkeypox is creating a bigger problem, increasing the stigma surrounding the virus, which primarily has been impacting men who are intimate with other men, but is not an STD.
Galaise created a Zoom group for others to connect and find resources.
"I want people to know other people are out there to help. They don't have to do this alone," he said.
Galaise is calling on the government to take monkeypox seriously, offer more resources to those suffering, and make it clear that anyone can get infected.
The city Health Department says it is working overtime to secure more vaccines and is waiting on the federal government to create and release more doses.
