Monkeypox!

[Forogil]

LMAO! Are you kidding me? You can't seriously think they would have a handle on this. They never got a handle on Covid!

Monkeypox is closely related to smallpox that we have managed to eradicate (unfortunately so closely related that the recent lack of smallpox-vaccination means that monkeypox can spread more).

They are different kinds of diseases: one is airborne RNA-virus and also spreads pre-symptomatically another is DNA-virus that gives visible signs that you are infected and seems to require physical contact.

[DarkAmbient]

WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

The World Health Organization has activated its highest alert level for the growing monkeypox outbreak, declaring the virus a public health emergency of international concern.

The rare designation means the WHO now views the outbreak as a significant enough threat to global health that a coordinated international response is needed to prevent the virus from spreading further and potentially escalating into a pandemic.

Although the declaration does not impose requirements on national governments, it serves as an urgent call for action. The WHO can only issue guidance and recommendations to its member states, not mandates. Member states are required to report events that pose a threat to global health.

The U.N. agency declined last month to declare a global emergency in response to monkeypox. But infections have increased substantially over the past several weeks, pushing WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to issue the highest alert.

Full statement from WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/23-07-...k-of-monkeypox

[Unlimited Power]

WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency



Full statement from WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/23-07-...k-of-monkeypox

I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression that Monkeypox primarily spreads by very close contact, mostly sexual encounters.

Coupled with the virus spreading after infection becomes noticable in the host, both visibly and symptomatically, and I'm frankly not understanding how this is spreading so widely.

[DarkAmbient]

I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression that Monkeypox primarily spreads by very close contact, mostly sexual encounters.

Coupled with the virus spreading after infection becomes noticable in the host, both visibly and symptomatically, and I'm frankly not understanding how this is spreading so widely.

This article in Scientific American is interesting. Apparently it's been mutating quite a bit, but opinions are split as to what is causing the surge in cases. One opinion is that it mutated to become more easily spread among humans and that a superspreader event helped this new mutation get a boost. Another is that it the mutations have not increased transmissibility but that the virus has been quietly spreading for years already. Two children in the US have got it now, including a toddler.

[Forogil]

I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression that Monkeypox primarily spreads by very close contact, mostly sexual encounters.

Coupled with the virus spreading after infection becomes noticable in the host, both visibly and symptomatically, and I'm frankly not understanding how this is spreading so widely.

There are two possible explanations - one is that it is spreading in other ways or earlier, the other is that we just had another pandemic and people have been sexually frustrated after feeling locked up for two years.

Think about: for two summers you have not been able to go to the usual festivals, and now they are back and you have booked tickets and finally you are there. Would you think a little rash really was monkeypox - or would you try to explain it away?

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Note that the number of deaths in monkeypox seems fairly low so far; in Africa this strain seems to kill 1% (another kills 10%) - Smallpox was reportedly 30%, but so far we have seen about 5 deaths among 16,000 cases worldwide or about a 0.03% fatality rate.

[Hypasonic]

It's here, "they" have now declared this a global emergency. Take care everyone, make sure you take every precaution necessary.

[PACOX]

How long until people unironically say:

"You can't tell me to wash my hands and not touch strangers!!!"

[Kaleredar]

How long until people unironically say:

"You can't tell me to wash my hands and not touch strangers!!!"

"those liberal doctors are telling me to wash my hands and not touch other people. They're just trying to exert socialist controls on our freedoms! Why I heard from Joe Rogan that you can just drink dog tick bath and it'll cure your monkeypox!"

[Edge-]

How long until people unironically say:

"You can't tell me to wash my hands and not touch strangers!!!"

Fox News hosts are one step ahead of you.

[gondrin]

Fox News hosts are one step ahead of you.

Well, at least a few on the right won't listen to this mess as some are extreme germaphobes. One is the Orange Menace himself. And touching someone else without consent is generally considered assault.

[Zan15]

"those liberal doctors are telling me to wash my hands and not touch other people. They're just trying to exert socialist controls on our freedoms! Why I heard from Joe Rogan that you can just drink dog tick bath and it'll cure your monkeypox!"

the vaccine was rushed!!!
umm...a couple hundred years is not enough time to test a vaccine!!

Or half a centry depending on which version of the vaccine you want to talk about.



of course now the conspiracy is the 2019 version of the vaccine has all the bad things covid vaccine has.


/facepalm

[Tentim]

I wish people would stop raping monkeys... nothing good has come of it.

[Forogil]

I wish people would stop raping monkeys... nothing good has come of it.

There are calls to rename the disease - since the name is misleading; and it is believed that the animal reservoir is African rodents (rats, dormice, squirrels, ...).

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the vaccine was rushed!!!
umm...a couple hundred years is not enough time to test a vaccine!!

Or half a centry depending on which version of the vaccine you want to talk about.

Ehmm... the CDC approved vaccines for monkeypox have been approved for less than a decade, even though they are related to other vaccines that have been approved for a longer time.

However, it is complicated to use those vaccines at this point: the vaccines likely take some time to take full effect (full effect 4 or 6 weeks after starting the vaccination), are in limited supply, they don't seem well-tested in humans against monkeypox, are somewhat complicated to administer, and one of the vaccines shouldn't be given to the HIV-infected.

Currently they primarily try to vaccinate contacts to infected, I guess the next step would be full ring-vaccination - but I don't see a similar rush for vaccination as for covid.

Especially as it seems that few people with access to good health-care actually die of the disease - there have been 5 deaths reported in the outbreak, but it seems all are from the African region.

[Zan15]

There are calls to rename the disease - since the name is misleading; and it is believed that the animal reservoir is African rodents (rats, dormice, squirrels, ...).

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Ehmm... the CDC approved vaccines for monkeypox have been approved for less than a decade, even though they are related to other vaccines that have been approved for a longer time.

However, it is complicated to use those vaccines at this point: the vaccines likely take some time to take full effect (full effect 4 or 6 weeks after starting the vaccination), are in limited supply, they don't seem well-tested in humans against monkeypox, are somewhat complicated to administer, and one of the vaccines shouldn't be given to the HIV-infected.

Currently they primarily try to vaccinate contacts to infected, I guess the next step would be full ring-vaccination - but I don't see a similar rush for vaccination as for covid.

Especially as it seems that few people with access to good health-care actually die of the disease - there have been 5 deaths reported in the outbreak, but it seems all are from the African region.

I was exaggerating mocking a trumpkin Q way of thinking. But you are right about your information when it comes to monkey pox specific vaccine.

the newest one was approved in the US in 2019 but was approved in Europe in 2013. Wasn't really a huge priority in this country.

https://www.precisionvaccinations.co...keypox-vaccine

The older smallpox vaccine that was used in the 70s and 80s did also offer protection from monkeypox.

[Forogil]

I was exaggerating mocking a trumpkin Q way of thinking. But you are right about your information when it comes to monkey pox specific vaccine.

the newest one was approved in the US in 2019 but was approved in Europe in 2013. Wasn't really a huge priority in this country.

https://www.precisionvaccinations.co...keypox-vaccine

Oh, it's the same. The pages I looked at from CDC were discussing the name of the vaccine and from EU were discussing the manufacturer (who happens to be in the EU), so it wasn't clear that it was the same one.

The older smallpox vaccine that was used in the 70s and 80s did also offer protection from monkeypox.

Yup, the decline in smallpox vaccinations is cited as one reason it started to spread now.

It seems they give 85% protection (based on studies in Africa), but it is unclear how long it lasts - CDC think smallpox vaccine itself may only last 5 years, but some studies suggest it gives life-long protection.

[The Stormbringer]

What the hell is with that name? If this is an illness that came out of Africa, that feels... really racist.

EDIT: Apparently it started in the UK. Okay, so probably not racist. Just a weird fucking name.

[Kumorii]

What the hell is with that name? If this is an illness that came out of Africa, that feels... really racist.

EDIT: Apparently it started in the UK. Okay, so probably not racist. Just a weird fucking name.

Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Despite being named “monkeypox,” the source of the disease remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) might harbor the virus and infect people.

Dunno, feels like most names are either named after the person who found it or the circumstances in which it was discovered. Seems apt in this situation, unless there's more to it.

[The Stormbringer]

Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Despite being named “monkeypox,” the source of the disease remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) might harbor the virus and infect people.

Dunno, feels like most names are either named after the person who found it or the circumstances in which it was discovered. Seems apt in this situation, unless there's more to it.

So it's not new? Everything I was hearing made it sound like it was a brand new thing. Okay, weird...

[Masark]

So it's not new? Everything I was hearing made it sound like it was a brand new thing. Okay, weird...

It's a new variant of it. Previously, it hasn't been very transmissible from human to human with most cases being acquired directly from infected animals. Previous outbreaks in Africa petered out at about 2,000 cases. Whereas this one is currently pushing 20,000 and still accelerating.

[Milchshake]

1987 All over again human beings really never fucking learn.

Reminded me of Buckley’s 1986 NYT article saying people with AIDS should be required to get tattoos. Just find/replace in "Monkeypox" and one could easily win this contest...