Monkeypox?

[MonkeypoxThread]

Apologies if there is already a thread about this - the search function is useless atm! I will get this deleted if it's a duplication.

Just interested to read MNers views on this as I don't know what to make of the news reports, and I know there are very knowledgable MNers. I think it's hard for people with no knowledge of things like this, to gauge the "significance" of these cases from the news.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "meh, whatever, fuck it" and 10 being "PANIC MODE ENABLED" I'm normally about a 3. Is that about right?

There is no way people will comply with any new restrictions for a new illness.

And tbh if we’re just going to lurch from virus to virus with a chance of dying of one of them then we should probably just get on with it and face the likelihood that we might die of whatever virus comes up.

We can’t put life on hold every time there’s a prevalent virus. At some point we just have to accept that certain viruses might spread, and certain people might die.

And I speak as someone who is CV and who was considered high risk from COVID.

We’re all going to die of something. If we keep putting life on hold no-one will actually be living any more because they’ll be too afraid of dying.

@mindutopia Thank you for your post.

I have to say covid I was about a 1, but a disfiguring disease with three week isolation - 9!

The impact on children is pretty concerning:
'Monkeypox is more common and more severe among children. Out of 247 cases in Zaire between 1970 and 1984, 98% of severe cases and 100% of fatalities occurred among children'
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/monkeypox

Yes slightly concerned as this seems first time its spreading a bit around europe
You would be crazy to not at least be aware of it and be keeping an eye on what more is found out
Even if you maybe don't get ill with it , 3 weeks off work is financially crippling as well as all being stuck in for 3 weeks
I will be certainly keeping an eye on what is happening and being aware at the very least

Well said OP 👏 Sometimes it’s ok to just discuss things, just to have a conversation. It doesn’t mean anyone is “hysterical” or “panicking”, just calmly talking something through.

As for the whole situation, I’m concerned and interested to learn more, I definitely think it’s something to keep an eye out about.

Has covid not taught you anything? Fear is generated by the media to sell news and adverts.

Ignore the noise and get on with life. Otherwise, you will be jumping from one scare to the next, missing out on life.

From what I've read this is the Nigerian Monkey pox which has a 1% case fatality rate not the DRC Monkey pox which has a 10% CFR. Bear in mind these CFR are in countries with less sophisticated health care (and yes the NHS is excellent in comparison despite all the all the current problems) and higher rates of HIV and AIDS most of whom won't be receiving modern anitviral treatments as they would in the UK and other western countries. The CFR for the same disease is likely to be many magnitudes lower in the UK.

Saying that I'd still really rather not catch it!!!

Genuine question, do you have a fear factor of between 1-10 when you get into a car and drive?

My fear of driving is off the scale - it's something I'm completely unable to do. I am nervous even as a passenger. The roads are incredibly dangerous, and a car is basically a killing machine dressed up as a mode of transport.

I especially hate the word "hysterical" as it's such a loaded misogynistic term.

Perhaps another (hopefully unarguable) and worthy of discussion point would be - with the rise in cost of living, if people have to take three weeks off work for isolation: how the fuck will that work? DH wouldn't be paid and he would lose his job, and I'm sure a lot of people would be in the same situation. How many people will self isolate when they want to be able to do a food shop and feed their DC that week?

I remember saying this on CV threads yonks ago, but not as many people were affected by that problem back then (or didn't even have much understanding of how lower income families struggle) but the way things are going atm I think a lot more people will be struggling and affected by this.

The odds of dying in a car crash in the UK is 1 in 20000. I'm happy to take that risk and drive as safely as I can.

There is also the control element to driving.

I can’t control the odd dangerous driver on the road, or freak occurrences, but what I can do is control the way I drive safely and stay alert to dangers caused by others. So I feel safe.

I don’t worry about driving at all.

So long as we don't then need to suffer through Orgygate when it emerges that they didn't follow the rules they set...

I did sound a warning on here more than once about using up the public goodwill on one virus ...................

'Monkeypox is more common and more severe among children. Out of 247 cases in Zaire between 1970 and 1984, 98% of severe cases and 100% of fatalities occurred among children'
So, that’s around 17 cases a year over a 14 year period, out of a then population of around 20 million, 50 years ago when treatments were far less advanced?

And you think that people should take a figure like that seriously and be afraid? Err ok.

Sorry but that is laughable.

Please don’t start being all sensible about this.

What are the odds of dying from Monkey pox or covid?
That is my point, life is full of risk, we just choose to ignore some risk yet are fasicnated with other risk.

Too bloody right. There's no money to pay for more restrictions. Only the comfortable middle class can afford to stay home.

I won't be staying at home for 3 weeks without pay under any circumstances. My energy bill has just doubled. I'm a single parent on minimum wage. If anyone tells me to stay home I'll be telling them to pay my bills then.

Well, according to PP upthread, even the chances of dying from it 50 years ago, assuming the death rate was about 10% were so negligeable as to not even be relevant. I mean we’re talking 24 cases over a 14 year period which equals about 1.8 people a year out of a population of 20 million.

What are the odds of dying from Monkey pox or covid?

I don't know the exact figures offhand but if monkey pox is more dangerous for children then I'm not prepared to take that risk. Covid overwhelmingly affected over 80s... without sounding mercenary, I really don't care as much about that as I do about children

And the disabled. In fact COVID overwhelmingly affected the disabled, and the largest portion of deaths occurred in people with disabilities.

But it’s ok to sacrifice those isn’t it.

Obviously it's not ok. But children potentially dying is the absolute worst scenario and anyone that disagrees is an absolute sociopath

So long as we don't then need to suffer through Orgygate when it emerges that they didn't follow the rules they set...

You know this is coming (pardon the pun). Poor old Sue Gray.

Ok, so it is ok to sacrifce childrens education, cancer treatment, routine operations, mental health treatment and support, GP support, people being left to die in isolation in hospitals?

People will not lock down again, it is now becoming very apparent the costs of the lockdowns are so widespread.