The declaration of a public health emergency by US President Joe Biden's government will allow for the deployment of additional personnel in the fight against the disease.
If the outbreak is to be contained in its early stages, experts warned, swift action was needed.
"We're prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus," the Health and Human Services Secretary said.
Observers believe the real number of cases could be much higher than the official figures suggest, since the symptoms of the current global outbreak, which began in May, have included subtle signs.
The presentation is similar to sexually transmitted infections and can lead to missed cases.
Approximately 1.6 million people are considered to be at highest risk for monkeypox and who need the vaccine the most, but the US has only delivered 600,000 of the original JYNNEOS vaccines.
Dawn O'Connell, a senior HHS official, said that the country should get its next shipment of 150,000 JYnEOS vaccines by September because of supply chain constraints.
The HHS said last week that the majority of US cases have been among men who have sex with men.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says other routes are also possible, such as sharing bedding, clothing, and long-term face-to-face contact.
Specific outreach efforts to the MSM community include advising them on new types of symptoms and suggesting reducing their number of sexual partners until they are vaccine free.
Some women and children have been affected by sexual or household contact.
All patients have recovered so far. Some have had to go to the hospital to treat their pain.
The drug used to treat the disease, known as tecovirimat, or TPOXX, was developed against the disease, but its effectiveness against monkeypox is still not fully understood.
Concerns of stigmatization have arisen due to the focus on MSMs.
The focus on the most affected population was helpful according to Monica Gandhi.
"Just like with HIV and COVID, it is important to define populations most at risk so we can prioritize messaging and resources towards those groups," she said.
After the World Health Organization designated the outbreak an emergency last month, the US declared it a public health emergency.
Robert Califf, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said his agency was considering changing the way the vaccine is injected to allow five times as many people to bevaccinated.
The vaccine is currently administered under the skin, but a new technique would allow it to be administered at a more shallow angle.
Califf said this is nothing unusual because it involves sticking the needle within the skin and creating a pocket for the vaccine to go into.
The new vaccine administration method needs to be approved by the US before it can be used.
Agence France- Presse.
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