We Can’t Let Monkeypox Turn into a Repeat of COVID

There have been more than 3000 confirmed cases of monkeypox in over 40 countries and the actual number is likely much higher. There are still so many unknowns regarding the spread of the monkeypox virus that it is worrying.

On the occasion of the 75th World Health Assembly in May 2022, the WHO gave a presentation on monkeypox. The WHO urged governments to work together to stop the spread of the disease. It sounded like an excerpt from the year 2020. I was wondering if politicians would ignore public health messages. I was concerned that monkeypox would become a sequel to COVID.

I am a medical doctor who studies policy and economics, and I found it gut-wrenching to see so many governments that were dishonest. In 2.5 years of the Pandemic, millions of people have died, millions more have been sick, and a large portion of the world is living with chronic bronchitis.

It is a test for world leaders. Policy makers have a small window of opportunity to act quickly and put the right measures in place to stop monkeypox from becoming a disaster. They should make sure that their communities are protected from data breeches and that they have the trust of their community. There are many unknowns about this outbreak, and political leaders should avoid making sweeping statements, instead they should raise public awareness. They should be prepared to fight the tide of misinformation.

Proper testing and diagnostic facilities are needed by countries. The WHO should use a standardized protocol for sharing data so that it can be compared across countries and regions. Government officials shouldn't stigmatize people who have monkeypox. COVID has made a list of what not to do. How will we go this time?

I recall the early days of confusion. People who had flown in from China were in a line with me at the airport. All of them wore masks. The World Health Organization reported the spread of coronaviruses to Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand. The first travel-related case of COVID was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US.

There was a lack of clear evidence on the dynamics of COVID transmission and the WHO was struggling to be consistent in its messaging. In the U.S. and Japan, politicians did not allow it to go unrecognized.

The WHO was accused of becoming China's coronaviruses ally instead of focusing on their own response to the epidemic. COVID was declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. The official declaration of a Pandemic was made a few weeks after this. I want to ask world leaders how they rate their response after January 30.

Government officials in the U.K. and the U.S. used to brag about doing the opposite of what scientists recommended. The epidemic became a political issue. There were political and economic gains.

I don't understand why leaders in office spread misinformation and promote coronaviruses remedies such as hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin knowing that people's lives were at stake. The unfortunate mix of lies, fake news, politics, blame and incompetent governance has put the public on the losing side.

More than 200,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent or caregivers to COVID-19. Research shows that orphans are more likely to suffer from poverty, substance abuse and suicide. There are many examples of politicians getting away with face-saving tactics, but how long are we going to tolerate this?

The flawed approach to vaccine distribution led to vaccine inequity. When India and South Africa proposed a temporary intellectual property ban on the COVID vaccine at the World Trade Organization to promote mass production of shots, they were opposed by a number of high income countries. This move was called out by Human Rights Watch. The People's Vaccine Alliance is concerned about the emergence of vaccine-resistant variant as a result of persistently low vaccine coverage in many countries.

The WHO doesn't recommend mass immunizations for monkeys. The U.S. has ordered jabs worth $119 million from the only company that makes a vaccine approved for monkeypox in the US.

COVID is more dangerous than monkeypox. It may soon be over. Government officials all over the world have a responsibility to learn from the mistakes of the COVID Pandemic if it doesn't happen. There is a transcript in front of them. They will either act in defense of public health or be indifferent to human suffering. Will we allow our governments to treat us this way?