Biden said the recent spread of monkeypox infections – identified by the World Health Organization in minimum 12 countries where a relatively rare disease is not endemic – could be a “consequence” if it continues.
Medical consultants “didn’t tell me the level of exposure, but that’s what everyone should be concerned about,” Biden said. “It’s a concern in that if it spread, it would have consequences.”
US national Security adviser Jake Sullivan says US has vaccines available to treat potential monkeypox outbreak and that Biden was informed on case tracks domestically and abroad. “He was informed of This on very regular basis,” Sullivan told reporters on Sunday. on Air Force One after taking off from South Korea.
Scientists rush to figure out out what causes infections and how reply. To date, WHO has received reports of 92 confirmed cases in laboratory and 28 suspected cases under investigation in USA, Canada, Australia and nine countries in Europe. Two countries No on WHO list – Israel and Switzerland, – reported their first confirmed cases on Saturday.
Studies show that the smallpox vaccine is at least 85 years old. percent effective against monkeypox, according to US Centers for Control and prevention of diseases that points out that the United States has licensed two vaccines to prevent smallpox, with one specially authorized for monkeypox.
As yet unexplained spread of contagious virus has set off alarm calls in scientific community still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, but some experts point out that these are different things. Monkeypox is less easily transmitted from person to person, and vaccines exist options that have proven to be effective against disease.
In this moment general risk to public for monkeypox is considered “very, very low”, Tom Inglesby, director of Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, The Washington Post previously reported.
One monkeypox infection identified. in Massachusetts and New York health officials said on Friday that two patients have been tested as part of the of investigation of suspicious cases of monkeypox in state. One patient positive test result for orthopoxvirus, i. family of viruses, to which monkeypox belongs, “and suffered from a disease corresponding with monkeypox,” state officials said.
On Wednesday, the Copenhagen company Bavarian Nordic, which developed licensed smallpox vaccine for use against monkeypox in United States, US stated government carried out his options by agreement with pharmaceutical company “to supply lyophilized version of The JYNNEOS® smallpox vaccine, which allows for in first doses of This version generate and invoice in 2023 and 2024”.
Order of new doses of vaccine with a longer shelf life worth $119 million, Bavarian Nordic said. in a news release. By his agreement with company, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Administration can still carry out options worth $180 million for about 13 million freeze-dried doses of smallpox vaccine in in future.
A health and human services spokesman told Axios that purchase was not a direct reaction to infections, but said doses could be used to treat monkeypox.
Separately, Bavarian Nordic stated that it had “contracted with unknown European country to supply its IMVANEX® smallpox vaccine in answer to new cases of monkeypox develops in May 2022.” Imvanex as Jynneos vaccine is known in Europe, licensed there only for treatment of smallpox, but it was used”off-label” in previous cases of monkeypox.
At least two European countries moved to the storage of vaccines in a possible efforts to move forward of Spreading. British Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed Friday what the UK is where the WHO is says Between 21 and 30 cases of monkeypox infection were reported, which “acquired additional doses of vaccines that are effective against Smallpox monkeys.
UKHSA confirmed 11 new cases of monkeypox in United Kingdom.
this morning I updated G7 health ministers on what we know already.
Most cases are mild and I can confirm we bought additional doses of vaccines that are effective against Smallpox monkeys. rice.twitter.com/T7ECf0E4AW
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) May 20, 2022
Meanwhile Spain prepares purchase thousands of additional doses of the Imvanex vaccine, according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais. Spain also moving to purchase more of antiviral treatment for According to the paper, monkeypox is called Tecovirimat.
Kim reported from Tokyo. Meryl Kornfield, Hannah Knowles, Timothy Bella and Lindsey Bever contributed to this report.
