US President Joe Biden on Sunday warned countries across the world to not take the sporadic reports of monkeypox infections lightly, saying that a larger spread could be “consequential.”

Speaking from the South Korean capital of Seoul, the 79-year-old said that reports of monkeypox cases from around the world “is something that everybody should be concerned about.”

“It is a concern in a sense that if it were to spread, it’s consequential,” Biden explained, assuring that experts were evaluating the evolving situation.

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“We’re working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine, if any, may be available for it,” the US President assured, ahead of his scheduled trip to Japan.

Biden’s comments come at a time when several countries have reported monkeypox cases.

While the first case this year was reported in the state of Massachusetts in the US, several countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, and Canada have reported infections.

On Sunday, Israel and Switzerland also reported their first monkeypox cases, and as it stands, the WHO estimates the case count across the world to be somewhere around 80.

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Experts suspect that monkeypox, which is quite rare outside central and western Africa, is spreading among people through sexual contact: in the UK, for instance, infections have primarily been found among members of gay and bisexual communities, and the government has warned members of vulnerable communities to be cautious and aware.

While monkeypox is usually not fatal with recent fatality rates hovering in the 3% to 6% range, what makes it potentially dangerous is the fact that it can spread from contact. 

Symptoms of infection, which last two to four weeks, include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, and can lead to further medical complications.