Biden: U.S. exploring monkeypox vaccines; ‘everybody’ should be concerned

President Biden said Sunday that the United States is looking into what vaccines might be available to protect people against monkeypox, saying that “everybody” should be concerned as cases continue to spread around the world and some countries beef up their treatment stockpiles.

“We’re working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine if any might be available for it,” Biden said from South Korea, where he is on an official visit.

Biden said the recent spread of monkeypox infections — identified by the World Health Organization in at least 12 countries where the relatively rare disease is not endemic — could be “consequential” if it continues.

Health advisers “haven’t told me the level of exposure yet, but it is something that everybody should be concerned about,” Biden said. “It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential.”