Pfizer CEO Downplays Monkeypox, Says Disease 'Very Difficult' To Become Pandemic

Pfizer's CEO downplayed the risk of the monkeypox virus amid the increasing concern about its spread in Europe and in recent weeks.

In an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he "wouldn't worry much" about the transmission of the rare virus, which is usually spread by wild animals in West Africa and suddenly started emerging in several countries.

As of Wednesday, 71 cases of monkeypox had been reported in the United Kingdom. On May 18, the first case in the United States was detected in Massachusetts, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate 200 more persons for the infection.

"I don't have all the information ahead of me. With everything I know, I wouldn't worry much," Bourla said.

However, he said that the public should still be careful and vigilant about monkeypox though it is "not that transmissible" like COVID-19 and other viruses. "That doesn't mean that we should relax. I think we should monitor where the situation goes."

In a separate interview with Sky News, Bourla noted that monkeypox is "very difficult to become a pandemic" due to the availability of "medicines and vaccines that can work."

White House Claims US Is Ready For Monkeypox

Albert Bourla's remarks come only days after United States President Joe Biden stated the spread of monkeypox is "to be concerned about."

During a visit to South Korea on Sunday, Biden was asked what his health advisers have told him about the disease, which seldom spreads outside of Africa, as per a report from the New York Post.

Before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Japan, Biden disclosed to reporters at Osan Air Base that his health advisers have informed him that the disease "is something that everybody should be concerned about."

"We're working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine, if any, may be available for but it is a concern in the sense that if it were to spread, it's consequential," President Biden added.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan assured the public that the US is ready for monkeypox, saying that the government has enough supply of "vaccine that is relevant to treating monkeypox."

Experts Says Monkeypox Spreads Through Sex

According to World Health Organization officials, a monkeypox virus outbreak in North America and Europe is predominantly spreading through intercourse among men, with roughly 200 confirmed and suspected cases in at least a dozen countries, CNBC reports.

Though monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, it is spread by semen and vaginal fluids, according to WHO officials, the most recent rise in cases appears to have been transmitted among men who have sex with other men.

Andy Seale, a WHO adviser on HIV, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections said several diseases can be transmitted via sexual contact.

"You could get a cough or a cold through sexual contact, but it doesn't mean that it's a sexually transmitted disease," he clarified.

Monkeypox virus is spread through close contact with infected people, animals, or materials. Broken skin, the respiratory tract, the eyes, nose, and mouth are all spots where it enters the body. Though respiratory droplets are thought to transmit disease from person to person, the CDC states that this approach requires prolonged face-to-face contact because the droplets can only reach a few feet.

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Joe Biden, Pfizer