In case you haven’t heard, apparently, Monkeypox is back. 2022 honestly was slacking compared to 2020 and 2021. Covid-19 is still a thing so why not throw monkeypox into the mix?
Dr. David Heymann, a leading advisor for the World Health Organization (WHO), noted the outbreak of monkeypox is quite a “random event.” Sexual activity appears to be the cause of the outbreak. Specifically, two recent raves in Europe. These raves took place in Spain and Belgium. In the past, monkeypox really only had outbreaks in Africa, where it is endemic in animals. Heymann had this to say:
“We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission”
As of now, most cases in Europe have been among men who have had sex with other men. However, anyone can be infected through close contact with a sick person. Right now, it is tough to say whether the spread is directly linked to sex or close contact.
To date, WHO has recorded more than 90 cases of monkeypox. It has been found in a dozen countries even spreading overseas to the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Fortunately, symptoms of cases have been mild with no deaths reported. Let’s hope this doesn’t add a sting to this Summers Festival Season. It was really looking to be the first normal one since 2019. Heymann had this to add at the end of his statement:
“This is not COVID…We need to slow it down, but it does not spread in the air and we have vaccines to protect against it.”
