US President Joe Biden to announce in on Tuesday donating 1 million doses of monkeypox (mpox) vaccine and at least $500 million to African countries to support their response to the outbreak, according to a senior administration official quoted by "Reuters" and News.bg.
Biden will make the announcement in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly, and will call on other countries to follow suit, the source told "Reuters".
In August, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, after an outbreak of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to neighboring countries and beyond, including India. causing alarm.
"It wouldn't be a big surprise if there was a case in the United States as well," the official said, noting that recent cuts to pandemic support by Congress could hamper the domestic response.
"We are really working hard right now to be able to respond effectively. And I think anticipating potential additional cuts in the future will make it more and more difficult for us to have a robust response to these types of outbreaks."
Monkey pox can be spread through close contact. It is usually mild but rarely fatal. The virus causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
The Congo epidemic began with the spread of an endemic strain known as clade I. But a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact.