The World Health Organization last week issued a health alert for mpox, formerly called ‘monkeypox,’ as the virus continues to spread across several African countries. The WHO declared mpox “a public health emergency of international concern.”
Misinformation echoing the same unfounded conspiracies pushed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and during the first U.S. mpox outbreak in 2022, has proliferated on social media following the announcement.
One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, falsely claimed without evidence that Bill Gates has been “seeding Monkeypox in Major Cities via Chemtrails.”
Another falsely stated that the Biden administration is paying an unnamed staffer $260,718 a year to serve as its “Monkeypox coordinator,” again without evidence. The latter post links to a video clip of men in speedos performing onstage and claims the staffer is among the performers, in an apparent attempt to rekindle homophobic misinformation that proliferated during the first U.S. mpox outbreak in 2022.
Days after the WHO declaration, UT Health Houston’s top infectious disease specialist spoke with the Landing about the status of the international outbreak and how this strain of mpox differs from the version behind the 2022 U.S. outbreak, which caused nearly 32,000 cases and 58 deaths in the U.S. and nearly 100,000 cases worldwide.
What is mpox?
Monkeypox refers to the virus that causes an illness now commonly referred to as mpox. The disease, which is endemic to central and west Africa, first was detected in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the World Health Organization.
The viral infection can spread from person to person, usually through close physical contact. It also can spread among wild animals and from wild animals to people in close contact with them.
Mpox produces a wide range of symptoms depending on strain and severity of illness. In less severe cases, infected people can develop rashes, mild headaches and other general fatigue symptoms. In more severe cases, mpox can cause painful lesions to develop on infected peoples’ face, groin, genitals, mouth and throat.
Is mpox deadly?
Experts have identified two main strains of mpox: clade II, which caused most of the infections during the 2022 U.S. outbreak and drove nearly 100,000 cases worldwide; and clade 1, the strain behind the current outbreak of concern.
Clade II cases have a death rate of about 0.2 percent and continues to cause infections at low rates in the U.S.
Early studies indicate that clade I, the strain driving the current outbreak, may be more deadly, said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious disease specialist at the UT Health Science Center in Houston. Both strains can spread through sexual contact, but clade I appears to spread faster between humans and has demonstrated greater resistance to antiviral medications that were effective against other strains, Ostrosky explained.
How does mpox spread?
Misinformation about mpox transmission abounds on social media. Most perpetrators imply or assert that mpox transmission is specifically transmitted between men who have sex with men; or claim the Biden/Harris Administration is purposely infecting people with the virus, as a means to impose tyrannical social control measures.
“Sexual contact is sexual contact,” Dr. Ostrosky said. “It can transmit efficiently both for homosexual and heterosexual activities. If you’re having gay or straight sex, it doesn’t matter.”
Can mpox be treated?
No direct treatments for the virus that causes mpox have been developed and most cases resolve without medication in two to four weeks. Lesions from the rash can cause permanent scarring in more severe cases. People with weakened immune systems, children under eight, people with a history of eczema or pregnant people are more likely to develop serious cases or die from mpox.
Vaccination for mpox now is covered under Medicaid and Medicare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that high-risk populations consult a healthcare professional before being vaccinated. You can find a clinic with the mpox vaccine available by searching your ZIP code here.
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