President Joe Biden said Monday that he didn't believe quarantines to prevent the spread of monkeypox in the U.S. would be necessary.
He said the U.S. has enough vaccine doses available to stop any serious outbreaks and to "deal with the likelihood of the problem," according to The Washington Post.
"I just don't think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with COVID-19, and the smallpox vaccine works for it," Biden said during a news conference in Japan.
The World Health Organization has identified monkeypox cases in at least a dozen countries where the disease isn't typically considered endemic. Generally found in Central and West Africa, the illness has been reported in several European countries, as well as the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
On Sunday, Biden told reporters that monkeypox is a "concern in that if it were to spread, it would be consequential." Administration officials have said the president has been briefed on the disease, the newspaper reported.
Monkeypox spreads through droplets and bodily fluids but doesn't pass easily between humans and is less contagious than the coronavirus, the Post reported. The CDC has reported that the smallpox vaccine is 85% effective against monkeypox, and the U.S. has licensed two smallpox vaccines that could help in potential outbreaks, including one that specifically targets monkeypox.
