Monkeypox virus on verge of becoming permanently entrenched in U.S.: report

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- One hundred days after the monkeypox outbreak was first detected in Europe, no country has more cases than the United States -- with public health experts warning the virus is on the verge of becoming permanently entrenched here, said a report of The Washington Post.

For two months, the Biden administration has been chased by headlines about its failure to order enough vaccines, speed treatments and make tests available to head off an outbreak that has grown from one case in Massachusetts on May 17 to more than 13,500 this week, said the report published on Wednesday.

Interviews with more than 40 U.S. officials working on the monkeypox response, outside advisers, public health experts and patients show that despite efforts to learn from the nation's coronavirus failures, officials struggled to meet growing demand for testing, vaccines and treatments, according to the report.

Experts fear broader circulation of a virus that can infect anyone by close contact.

The coming weeks will reveal whether the Biden administration has overcome its early struggles -- or whether too much time was lost as the virus took hold in the United States under a president who had vowed to prevent pandemics, said the report.