Several of the cases in the current outbreak have been traced to two wild parties in Spain and Belgium, where the virus was spread by sexual contact.
President Joe Biden backed off comments that all Americans have reason to be concerned about monkeypox — the mysterious virus believed to have been detected in four states so far.
But the president now says there is enough vaccine available to deal with it.
An outbreak of monkeypox happened in 2003, when 71 Americans contracted the virus, including Dr. Kurt Zaeske, a veterinarian who spoke to Inside Edition about the ordeal.
“I started feeling uncomfortable, feverish, nausea and lightheadedness, almost like a flu coming on,” Zaeske said.
Zaeske says he quickly broke out in painful, nasty blisters and sores all over his body.
“I also had one that actually developed into a very nasty blister that turned black. That was here on my thumb. I had that surgically excised, and I now have a scar,” Zaeske said.
Of the reported cases in the 2003 outbreak, there were no fatalities.
Today, the virus has been detected in New York and Massachusetts, with possible cases in Florida and Utah.
The outbreak is more widespread in Europe, with 190 confirmed or suspected cases in at least 12 countries. Several of the cases were traced to two wild parties in Spain and Belgium, where the virus was spread by sexual contact.
Biden downplayed the threat while traveling in Japan.
“I just don’t think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with COVID-19,” Biden said.
In just two weeks, 56 cases of monkeypox have been diagnosed in the United Kingdom — a situation health experts describe as “unprecedented.”
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