Anyone else worried about M pox?

It does, but there is not enough vaccine available for the people who really need it in Africa, so it should surely go there.

I’m concerned that so many impoverished people in some African countries are suffering terribly with it and they don’t have sufficient vaccine. I’m not worried about it becoming a big problem here. It is transmitted through sex, lying in bedding that someone with the disease has laid in and from droplets from coughs and sneezes. People can make responsible choices about their sexual practices, whose bedding they sleep in and surely if we’ve learned anything from Covid, it’s to keep some distance from people when out and about. We can also choose to wear a make in crowded places.

I’m on the vulnerable list solely due to a pretty bad time with covid - which I never expected since I’m healthy, normal weight, active etc - so while I get that it’s a sensible response to not be worried, yes I am due to my own facts. It’s a difficult question to answer therefore, because it depends. I think the U.K. needs to give a response as to how they would deal with it, which would help assuage worry - otherwise it could skyrocket (filling the vacuum). I bumped into an old friend today who sailed through Covid and 10 minutes in she said “we don’t want to get MP do we”. It was top news on the BBC….

They said the same last year and it tends to be mainly african men transferring it to each other so unless your a man sleeping with another man its unlikely.

We had clients in Italy and I couldn’t believe how casual the uk government was about it all. My business went fully remote and asked staff not to meet each other a month before the UK government based on the reports we were getting from Turin. I suppose I’m more alert to mpox as a result. But trying not to panic.

No but on the otherhand it does remind me of covid being in the background in December 2019 ish and me not paying much attention to it.

It is a bit concerning considering Covid was originally quite contained, apparently anyway, then quickly escalated.

I was very nonchalant about Covid right up to early March 2020 and was shocked how that enfolded so suppose I do take a bit more interest in these kind of things now.

I’m moderately worried. This variant seems to be spreading by proximity and non-sexual contact, the WHO has declared it whatever the status Covid had in January 2020 - internationally significant, not just developing countries significant - and the mortality rate is horrific.

I really hope there isn't an outbreak as I'm on strong immunosuppressants and therefore more vulnerable to viruses. However I'm avoiding reading about it as I can't alter anything right now, other than my own stress levels.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022–2023_mpox_outbreak

I can only think that you don't know many people . Do you also not know anyone with children who attend school, or who travel on public transport?

Sadly, twas ever thus. The kids in DRC have long had a great many problems that nobody cares about. Just as nobody cared about ebola, HIV etc until it started affecting us. It isn't right, but it's human nature.

Thank you.

Even after many decades?

@Rummly ,

Yes, good protection.

Does anyone know whether having had the smallpox vaccination confers any protection to Mpox?

I think it is medium concerning.

It isn’t that transmissible, but Clade 1b is one of the more transmissible strains.

The next question is how likely is it to mutate. It isn’t a retrovirus, so won’t mutate nearly as quickly as Covid, but it will still mutate, and it is closely related to smallbox, one of the most transmissible and deadly viruses of all time.

So, I am a little concerned. However, hopefully, we can get the virus under control in Africa, and ramp up vaccine production in plenty of time.

WHO have graded it a global health emergency based on its prevalence in impoverished and developing countries, which make up a large proportion of the world. They don't have the access to vaccines and healthcare thar we do and so it is right to declare it an emergency.

It's a disease that is spread by very close contact, sexual, touching, or directly breathing in someone else's air in very close proximity. There will inevitably be cases in the UK and developed world, but it's nowhere near as virulent as Covid. I worry for those in poorer countries though, because that's where the pain will be felt worse.

Not in the slightest worried.

I don't get all this me, me, me.
Yes, I'm worried for the children in DR Congo.
No one seems to give a fuck about them.

Wtf?You do realise not everyone can work from home ,who do you think teaches ,children ,treats the sick ,keeps law and order, sells your food ,drops of your amazon deliveries ,etc ,etc, etc.

A tiny bit. It looks like it's only spread by contact so far.

No I mean as in know them personally

From the BBC:

The current outbreaks in DR Congo are being driven by sexual contact and by other forms of close contact.

I'm not worried, no.

namechangeforthisi I'm fascinated by how you don't know anyone who goes out to work. Do you mean know them as friends, or don't know them even in passing? I don't know your living circumstances but here we have a postman, the crews on the bin lorries, the Prime and DPD van drivers, there are staff in the shops, a professional dog walker comes to collect my neighbour's dog, the driver of the private ambulance who came to collect an elderly neighbour's body, builders doing an extension up the road, nearby farmers out doing their stuff, etc etc.

Back to mpox. No, not worried but will keep an interested eye on developments. I don't believe all the people claiming they would not comply with any restrictions would still say that if it happened to get very bad here.

No, I'm not concerned for most parts of the world because there's a vaccine. If I lived in DR Congo, or if it remains uncontrolled by October, then I would become mildly concerned and start asking harder questions about vaccines and border controls.