As monkeypox cases rise, public health experts and officials around the world are scrambling to contain the outbreak, but they also face the challenge of fast-spreading misinformation. There are some big questions about the disease.
People hold signs during a rally to demand that the federal government act quickly.
Monkeypox is a question. Monkeypox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a less deadly and less transmissible relative of one of mankind's biggest killers, variola.
Is it old? Monkeypox has caused sporadic outbreaks in parts of Africa for decades and was largely ignored by the rest of the world.
The symptoms of monkeypox are unknown. The symptoms of monkeypox can be similar to flu, but the extent of the rash can vary and clinicians have reported symptoms that are more mild in nature.
What is it really like? Most people recover from the disease on their own within a few weeks, though the disease can be fatal and some patients have to go to the hospital for treatment.
What is the origin of monkeypox? Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it naturally circulates among wildlife and only occasionally spills over into humans, and despite its name experts have not discovered the animal reservoir for the virus, which is most likely rodents.
It doesn't have anything to do with monkeys. The World Health Organization has said that the monkeys are not connected to the current outbreak of monkeypox because it has almost nothing to do with them.
What happens when monkeypox spreads? Monkeypox can be spread among humans through close physical contact, contaminated items, and respiratory droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.
There is a global outbreak. The majority of those affected by the global outbreak are men who have sex with men and data shows sexual contact is the primary mode of transmission.
I wonder if monkeypox could spread in other groups. Though there have been a small number of cases outside men, there is no evidence of sustained transmission outside sexual networks to justify the fear of the virus among most people.
We should focus on men instead of missing cases. The focus on gay and bisexual men, as well as initial testing constraints, sparked a flurry of misinformation suggesting that the virus is going undetected and spreading silently among women and children.
Is it possible to cure monkeypox? There is no proven treatment for monkeypox, but there is a drug called Tpoxx that can be used for some patients, and it is being tested to see if it can help people recover from the disease quicker.
There is a vaccine. The only vaccine approved for use against monkeypox in the world is marketed as Imvanex in Europe and Imvanune in Canada, though there is no data on its effectiveness.
I don't know how to get a vaccine. The vaccine shortage means shots are hard to access in most areas if they are available at all and most jurisdictions are directing supplies to high risk groups like men who have sex with men or close contacts of people who have been diagnosed with monkeypox.
Is there any other vaccine? There is an abundant supply of ACAM2000, a live virus vaccine that can be used to combat monkeypox, though officials have yet to roll it out due to the risk of severe side effects and unsuitability for people with compromised immune systems.
Is my vaccine effective against monkeypox? It is not known if the vaccine will protect against monkeypox over time or if it will protect against severe illness.
How to make sure you are protected? Gay and bisexual men should limit the number of sexual partners, especially anonymous or group encounters, if they want to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, though it is not clear how protective the shots will be and supplies are short.
The potential for monkeypox to spread and fill the void left by smallpox has been feared by experts for many years. The near-simultaneous appearance in several countries where it does not usually spread alarmed public health authorities and suggested the virus had been spreading undetected for years. Previous monkeypox flare ups have usually been confined and self-limiting, but this outbreak is different. The primary group affected by the disease is men who have sex with men, and officials are struggling to rename the disease. Activists slammed timid public health messaging that sugarcoats the risks to gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with men while exaggerating the risks other groups face.
A total of 45,535. There have been confirmed cases of monkeypox in the world so far this year. More than a third of these have been recorded in the United States, followed by Spain, Brazil, Germany, and the U.K. There have been 12 deaths this year. Seven of these were in Nigeria, Central African Republic, andGhana, and five were in Spain and India.
It may be too late to stop monkeypox from gaining a foothold in countries like the U.S. according to experts. It would be hard to eliminate the virus if it spreads between humans. The first documented case of human-to-pet transmission of the virus was reported by scientists in France, which was unsurprising.
Is monkeypox transmitted sexually? Experts did not believe before this outbreak that monkeypox could be transmitted sexually and while it has been spreading among sexual networks, this could be through close physical contact with one another. Data showing the role of sex in transmission is growing and experts are looking into reports that the virus was found in some patients' semen. Dr. Ina Park is a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Park urged the U.S. to expand the safety net of public sexual health clinics.
The world ignores the science of monkeypox.
The colleges are preparing for the possibility of a monkeypox outbreak when students return.
Here is how many monkeys have been shipped and where.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
