Biden concerned over rise of Monkeypox cases
Written by First Choice Radio on 22 May 2022
President Joe Biden says cases of monkeypox in Europe and the US are something “to be concerned about”.
In his first public comments on the disease, Mr Biden added: “It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential.”
The president was asked about the disease as he spoke to reporters at Osan Air Base in South Korea, where he visited troops before taking off for Japan to continue his first trip to Asia as president.
“They haven’t told me the level of exposure yet but it is something that everybody should be concerned about,” Mr Biden said.
He added that work is under way to determine what vaccine might be effective.
Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters on board a flight to Tokyo that the US has a supply of “vaccine that is relevant to treating monkeypox”.
“We have vaccine available to be deployed for that purpose,” he said.
Mr Sullivan said Mr Biden was getting regular updates on the outbreak.
Monkeypox is rarely identified outside of Africa but, as of Friday, there were 80 confirmed cases worldwide, including at least two in the US, and another 50 suspected ones.
Although the disease belongs to the same virus family as smallpox, its symptoms are milder.
People usually recover within two to four weeks without needing to be admitted to hospital, but the disease occasionally is deadly.
Published: by Radio NewsHub
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