'We Should be Concerned About Monkeypox Cases,' Says US President Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden had so far refrained from making any public statement about monkeypox cases.

Joe Biden. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@LopezResists)

US President Joe Biden said that the recent cases of monkeypox that have emerged from the US and Europe are something to be concerned about.

So far, Biden had not made a comment on the disease publicly. On Sunday, 22 May, while addressing the press at Osan Air Base in South Korea, he said, "It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential."

"They haven't told me the level of exposure yet but it is something that everybody should be concerned about," he said, according to AP.

Biden also said that work was underway to understand what vaccine would be able to prevent or mitigate the effects of the disease.

Meanwhile, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US has a supply of “vaccine that is relevant to treating monkeypox.”

Cases of Monkeypox in US

On Wednesday, 18 May, the US had confirmed its first case of monkeypox this year – a rare, but deadly, viral infection currently on the rise in parts of Europe.

After over 100 cases of monkeypox were confirmed across Europe, the World Health Organization held an emergency meeting on 20 May to discuss the recent outbreak.

A small cluster of monkeypox cases were detected in the UK in 2021. However, a recent surge in cases in countries in Europe such as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, has put the health authorities including the WHO on alert.

There have also been cases in Canada and the US.

The Indian government asked officials to keep a close watch on monkeypox situation abroad as well. They have asked to isolate sick passengers from affected countries and send their samples to NIV Pune for investigation.

(With inputs from AP.)