(Seoul) Joe Biden warned on Sunday, on the sidelines of his Asian tour, that the impact of the spread of simian pox (also called monkeypox), which has been detected in a dozen European countries as well as in Australia , Canada and the United States could be “consequential”.
Posted at 9:28
The American president, about to leave South Korea to go to Japan, explained on Sunday that he had not been fully informed by American health officials of the “level of exposure” of the United States to this virus.
“But it’s something everyone should be concerned about,” he told reporters before boarding Air Force One to fly to Tokyo.
“If it spread, it would be significant,” he added.
Simian pox, a less dangerous cousin of smallpox, eradicated for about forty years, first results in a high fever and quickly evolves into a rash, with the formation of scabs, especially on the face.
There is no treatment, but this viral infection heals itself.
At least eight European countries had reported cases on Friday, according to the WHO, as well as Australia, Canada and the United States, countries where its presence is unusual. It is normally present, considered “endemic”, in 11 African countries.