With the entire planet recovering from covid, another disease on the rise all over the world is truly a harrowing sight. Fear and denial has once again spread throughout humanity due the unfortunate arrival of monkeypox.  Another thing spreading faster than the disease ever could is misinformation. 

Monkeypox is not only a recent disease. In fact, it was first identified in monkeys in 1958, by a scientist who´s name has not been identified. However, no cases in humans were recorded until the 70s. There have been some small outbreaks over the years, such as a handful of people being infected with the disease in the US in 2003. However, there has yet to be an outbreak of the disease in this magnitude until now. Monkeypox was declared a national public health emergency on August 4th. There are over 36k cases worldwide as of the time of this writing.

The main symptoms of monkeypox are very visible . A rash can develop nearly anywhere on the skin of someone who contracts the disease. This rash appears pox-like, and goes through many symptoms of healing including scabbing over. This rash is commonly itchy and painful. These visible symptoms aren’t the only ones, though. Although all known cases do involve the rash, other symptoms include exhaustion, aching of the muscles, fever, headaches, and other common flu symptoms such as congestion, sore throat, or a cough. 

An extremely overwhelming amount of misinformation has been circulating about monkeypox. First of all, monkeys are not an overwhelming threat to humans due to the disease. There have been instances of people killing groups of monkeys because of the disease. This will not stop the spread. Second of all, the disease is not an STD, and not one limited to gay men. The disease is spread through physical contact, and cisgender men, homoseexual and heterosexual alike, are those who are the most likely to be infected with the disease. Therefore, many queer men have gotten the disease when having intercourse, because sex is very close contact and two men being involved in the activity means if one is sick, monkeypox can be spread easily. However, monkeypox can be spread through any physical contact, no matter sexuality, gender, or circumstance. 

Monkeypox is a genuine threat to the world. That is why it is very important to stay calm and know only the facts about the situation. Social media rampantly spreads misinformation in crises like wildfire, and it is essential to do your best to avoid these falsities and the panic they cause. Protect yourself, wash your hands often, wear a mask for extra protection, and stay home and recover if you get symptoms for the safety of yourself and others. 

Cites:

1. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/monkeypox-spreads-experts-clear-misinformation-rcna42526
2.  https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html
3. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220801-what-is-monkeypox-and-why-is-it-spreading