Setbacks in Biden administration's response allow monkeypox to gain foothold: media

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A series of setbacks in the Biden administration's response to addressing monkeypox allowed the disease to gain a foothold in the United States, said a report of Politico on Sunday.

The Biden administration was caught off-guard when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed monkeypox in a Massachusetts man on May 18.

U.S. public health officials tracked the early cases around the country that followed. But a series of setbacks in the administration's response allowed the disease to gain a foothold, said the report.

The setbacks include clunky early testing protocols, slow vaccine distribution, a lack of federal funding to help state and local governments respond to the outbreak, and patchy communication with communities most affected by the virus, according to the report.

"It may be too late to stop monkeypox from circulating in the United States permanently," said the report.