Biden says 'everybody should be concerned about' monkeypox

President Joe Biden on Sunday said that "everybody should be concerned about" monkeypox after the World Health Organization confirmed more than 80 cases worldwide.

Before departing on Air Force One from South Korea, Biden told reporters that his health advisors have not informed him about the "level of exposure yet." 

The president said monkeypox "is something that everybody should be concerned about." 

He elaborated,"But it is a concern in the sense that if it were to spread, it’s consequential. That’s all they have told me."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week a U.S. resident tested positive after traveling to Canada. The agency is also monitoring several monkeypox clusters reported over the last few weeks in Europe and North America, where the virus is not typically reported.

"We’re working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine, if any, may be available for it," Biden stressed.

Monkeypox is similar to a more mild form of smallpox, and symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swolen lymph nodes and a rash with lesions, according to the CDC.