May 22 2022 18:14
US President Joe Biden warned, on Sunday, on the sidelines of his Asian tour, that the impact of the spread of monkeypox, which was monitored in a dozen European countries, and in Australia, Canada and the United States as well, may have “repercussions.”
The US president, who was regarding to leave South Korea for Japan on Sunday, said that he had not been fully informed of the “level of exposure” of the United States to this virus by health officials in his country.
“But this issue should concern everyone,” he told reporters before boarding Air Force One to fly to Tokyo. “If it spreads, it will have repercussions,” he added.
Monkeypox is a rare disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, fatigue, and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.
There is no cure for monkeypox, from which people generally recover naturally, and symptoms last between 14 and 21 days.
At least eight European countries reported cases of the disease on Friday, according to the World Health Organization, in addition to Australia, Canada and the United States, which are countries that do not usually record infections. The disease is already present in 11 African countries where it is considered “endemic”.
Source: agencies
