Today, leaders from the National Security Council and the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy convened a roundtable with Federal agencies, global and domestic public health partners, advocacy organizations, and community leaders to discuss the escalating "clade I" mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and multiple other countries that have never before had mpox cases.
The global mpox response and domestic preparedness efforts are top priorities for the Biden-Harris Administration. Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer and Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall provided remarks during the event. Representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Treasury Department also joined the convening.
"By building on the lessons learned from the mpox outbreak response in 2022, the U.S. will continue to lead the way, globally and domestically, to be more prepared to respond to any biological threat," said Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall. "We must also continue to partner with trusted community organizations, academic researchers, and civil society actors across the international community to promote the dissemination of information, support the early detection of cases, and ensure the rapid deployment of countermeasures. Doing so will keep Americans safer and more secure here at home."
"Our actions today and in the coming weeks have the potential to change the course of the global clade I mpox response at home and abroad" said Jon Finer. "It is more critical than ever for the United States to be a global leader in preventing and responding to health emergencies. When the United States invests in building stronger partnerships around the world, and when we support stronger, more effective multilateral and regional institutions, not only are Americans safer, but the world is safer."
The convening affirmed the United States leadership role in the global mpox response and identified efforts to bolster domestic preparedness and improve U.S. readiness for a clade I mpox case. While there are no known clade I cases in the United States at this time, federal and state leaders are working to ensure that the U.S. can rapidly detect, contain, and manage clade I cases should they occur. Clade IIb mpox, which caused the 2022 global outbreak, continues to circulate at low levels in the United States and in many countries around the world.
