Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Reassures Americans About Monkeypox
Reuters: Third Possible Case Of Monkeypox Found In The U.S.
Health authorities said they may have found a third case of the monkeypox virus in the United States and are running tests on a patient in South Florida to confirm if the person has contracted the disease, which is staging a rare outbreak outside of Africa. The case in Broward County, Florida, is "related to international travel," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Florida Department of Health said in a statement on Sunday, "and the person remains isolated." (Mckay, 5/23)
USA Today: Monkeypox Outbreak: Joe Biden Says US Has Enough Vaccines
A day after saying “everybody should be concerned” about an outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox, President Joe Biden on Monday sent a more reassuring message. Biden said the smallpox vaccine is effective on monkeypox and the United States has enough “to deal with the likelihood of a problem.” (Groppe, 5/23)
The Hill: Biden Says Monkeypox Quarantine Requirements Unlikely, But ‘People Should Be Careful’
President Biden on Monday said he does not expect the United States to impose quarantine requirements for individuals infected by or exposed to monkeypox, but he urged Americans to “be careful” as the virus circulates more widely. Biden was asked during a press conference in Tokyo about other countries, namely Belgium, that have required those infected with monkeypox to quarantine for 21 days, and whether Americans should expect something similar. “No, I don’t think so,” Biden said. (Samuels, 5/23)
Bloomberg: Monkeypox Virus Shouldn’t Spur Covid-19 Level Of Concern, Joe Biden Says
President Joe Biden sought to reassure Americans that the current monkeypox outbreak was unlikely to cause a pandemic on the scale of Covid-19. “I just don’t think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with Covid-19,” he told reporters Monday in Tokyo at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The US has enough small pox vaccine stockpiled to deal with the outbreak, Biden said. Still, he said people should be cautious. (Cook and Jacobs, 5/23)
Politico: Health Official On Monkeypox: ‘I Feel Like This Is A Virus We Understand’
Biden administration health official Ashish Jha said Sunday he expects that monkeypox will not have widespread impact in the United States. “I feel like this is a virus we understand,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” Speaking to host Martha Raddatz, the White House coronavirus response coordinator said monkeypox is far different than coronavirus, since it is not something new and treatments already exist for it. (Cohen, 5/22)
Also —
AP: Expert: Monkeypox Likely Spread By Sex At 2 Raves In Europe
A leading adviser to the World Health Organization described the unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by risky sexual behavior at two recent mass events in Europe. In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergencies department, said the leading theory to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission among gay and bisexual men at two raves held in Spain and Belgium. Monkeypox has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond Africa, where it is endemic in animals. (Cheng, 5/23)
NBC News: As Monkeypox Outbreak Swells, Experts Offer Guesses As To Why Europe Has Seen Unprecedented Spread
From past instances of human-to-human transmission, scientists have learned that the virus spreads through the exchange of large respiratory droplets or via direct contact with bodily fluids, lesions that form during infection, or contaminated items like clothing or bedding. Monkeypox isn't considered a sexually transmitted infection, but it could be passed during sexual encounters, experts said. Many of the recent cases in Europe are among men who have sex with men, and a Friday alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that some recent cases started out with lesions around the anus and genitals. "I'm guessing that sexual transmission will be high on the list of potential culprits," said Dr. Grant McFadden, director of the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy at Arizona State University. (Bendix, 5/20)
Bloomberg: Conspiracy Theories That US May Be The Source Of Monkeypox Virus Swirl In China
Chinese social media users are speculating the US could be the source of monkeypox infections now reported in at least a dozen countries, including the UK, Spain and Australia. The viral infection has been highlighted as a trending topic on popular social media platform Weibo for the past three days with a hashtag on the US reporting two suspected monkeypox cases attracting more than 51 million views as of Monday. While Chinese state media has refrained from accusing the US of intentionally spreading monkeypox -- an accusation it made about Covid-19 -- many social media users haven’t held back. (Lew, 5/23)
Axios: HHS Says Recent U.S. Smallpox Vaccine Order Not Related To Monkeypox Outbreak
The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority's (BARDA) recent purchase of smallpox vaccines is not related to the new monkeypox outbreak, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Axios. "The most recent BARDA purchase of smallpox vaccine was part of a standard and ongoing preparedness efforts and unrelated to specific events," an HHS spokesperson told Axios. (Scribner, 5/20)
The global spread continues —
Press Association/Bloomberg: Monkeypox Infections Rising In UK With ‘More Cases Every Day’
Monkeypox is spreading through community transmission in the UK with more cases being detected daily, a senior doctor has warned. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 20 cases of the disease in the UK with nine other countries outside of Central and West Africa also reporting outbreaks. The disease, which was first found in monkeys, can be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact - including sexual intercourse - and is caused by the monkeypox virus. Dr Susan Hopkins, a chief medical adviser for UKHSA, said updated figures for the weekend will be released on Monday as she warned of more cases "on a daily basis". (Speare-Cole, 5/22)
Press Association/Bloomberg: High-Risk Monkeypox Close Contacts Told To Isolate For 21 Days In UK
Contacts of monkeypox cases at high risk of having caught the infection should self-isolate for 21 days, latest government guidance says. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance now recommends that people who have had "unprotected direct contact or high-risk environmental contact" should isolate for three weeks. This includes no travel, providing details for contact tracing and avoiding direct contact with immunosuppressed people, pregnant women and children under 12. Those who are considered at high risk of having caught monkeypox may have had household contact, sexual contact, or have changed an infected person's bedding without wearing appropriate PPE. (Speare-Cole, 5/22)
AP: Israel Reports First Case Of Monkeypox, Suspects Others
Israeli authorities say they have detected the country’s first case of monkeypox in a man who returned from abroad and were looking into other suspected cases. Israel’s Health Ministry said late Saturday the man was in a Tel Aviv hospital in good condition. It called on anyone returning from abroad with fever and lesions to see a doctor. ... Israel’s case appeared to be the first identified in the Middle East. (5/22)
USA Today: WHO Convenes Meetings, Steps Up Response On 'Atypical' Surge In Monkeypox Cases. Here's What We Know
The World Health Organization on Friday said it was stepping up efforts to understand and combat monkeypox as nearly a dozen countries are investigating "atypical" outbreaks. The organization said the ongoing situation is being discussed at several meetings. "There are about 80 confirmed cases so far, and 50 pending investigations. More cases are likely to be reported as surveillance expands," the health agency said in a news release. The spike in monkeypox cases in Europe and North America has perplexed public health professionals because the rare disease is typically found in central and west Africa — and human-to-human transmission is usually considered uncommon. (Tebor, Shannon and Weise, 5/21)
