Monkeypox update

The World Health Organization is calling an emergency meeting this Friday to tackle the rise of mpox—that viral infection mostly seen in West and Central Africa—now that we've seen over 100 confirmed or suspected cases pop up across Europe.

It’s essentially a viral infection that’s traditionally been centered in parts of Africa... somewhat similar to smallpox, though there's a key distinction. Smallpox spreads strictly from person to person, which is why massive vaccination efforts managed to wipe it out back in the eighties. With mpox, however, the virus has animal hosts to jump back to, so it isn't something we can just eradicate through human vaccination alone

So far, the cases have primarily affected men, with most instances appearing to stem from sexual contact between men.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that among the twenty identified cases, the majority involve gay and bisexual men.

In Portugal, for instance, all fourteen reported cases were traced back to sexual health clinics, specifically involving gay and bisexual men between the ages of 20 and 40.

Meanwhile, health officials in Spain reported 23 new cases on Friday—mostly concentrated in Madrid—which seem to be linked to an adult sauna.

The US just placed an order for another 13 million vaccine doses:

https://fortune.com/2022/05/19/monke...us-government/

🍿Seriously, though? It feels like we’re just stuck in this endless loop of ordering more and more while everyone argues about what comes next. I was talking to my buddy the other day—he’s one of those guys who thinks everything is a conspiracy, you know how they are—and he was losing his mind over the sheer scale of these government contracts. Honestly, it’s hard to keep track anymore. One minute we think we're turning a corner, the next there's a massive new shipment being moved around. Just feels like we're spinning our wheels.

I think the big difference here is that COVID was a total wildcard, whereas this—from what I’ve gathered so far—is basically a known entity we already have a vaccine for. So, I don't see us heading back to the days of mask mandates and lockdowns. That said, I totally get why people are still on edge. After everything we went through, anyone would be jumping at the news if they heard some "exotic" disease was spreading outside its usual territory.

I mean, monkeypox doesn't really seem to have that same tendency to spread as easily as COVID did—you know, that constant mutation thing where no vaccine can quite keep up. It feels more like monkeypox spreads within specific circles, which is probably why we saw it popping up in certain spots like those saunas in Madrid. It seems to be hitting people who are already engaging in higher-risk behaviors. There isn't a dedicated vaccine specifically for monkeypox, either. I guess there is a smallpox vaccine that supposedly works against it, but that hasn't been used in ages since smallpox was wiped out decades ago.

A pretty intense report coming out of New York City regarding monkeypox—it’s enough to set off alarms globally. People are scrambling to find treatments, and infectious disease specialists are making it clear: this isn't some minor bug you can just sleep off.

I have a feeling people might be underestimating how serious this epidemic actually is... 🍿

The United States of America has officially confirmed the first instances of mpox among children, according to an announcement from health officials this past Friday.

First death from monkeypox confirmed in Europe: Case numbers climbing globally

The WHO declared monkeypox a global health emergency this past Saturday.

According to the official statement from the organization, about 98 percent of cases recorded so far have been among men who have sex with men—though they noted this specific statistic doesn't apply to certain African nations where the virus is already considered endemic...

WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has advised that particular group to consider limiting their number of sexual partners and to be transparent by sharing contact info with any new partners.

it all feels a bit too much like a repeat of COVID... ☕