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?

Thank you everything for sources, sorry if I was snippy, I had been eyerolling at some of the AIBU monkeypox posts elsewhere!

A lot of can't have live vaccines (ironically the most vulnerable group) so it does give you a bit more of a fatalistic (is that right word?) feeling. I said I would never shield for my own sake again, but if my cat is at risk I'll be hauling up the drawbridge

No worries WeBuiltCisCityOnSexistRoles I agree about the current Aibu threads, I’m steering clear as they rapidly descended into bunfights.

It’s good to have a thread where you can discuss the information without immediate polarisation into “hysterical” versus “denial”. Both of which are perfectly understandable after the last two years.

I said I would never shield for my own sake again, but if my cat is at risk I'll be hauling up the drawbridge

I was lucky enough not to shield for Covid but I don't think I can have the smallpox vaccine (dermatitis) so if it comes to it I'll be shielding for the sake of the cat! DH is older and been vaccinated so he can crack on!

It seems the UKHSA are now considering a scenario where they will have to ration post-exposure vaccine to those most vulnerable, including year 6 and under and pregnant women.

there is no suggestion we are yet at the point of rationing but I find it telling that they are planning for it. I think this may reflect an increased estimation of the size of the outbreak.

inews.co.uk/news/politics/monkeypox-contacts-told-not-to-leave-the-country-in-case-they-have-contracted-the-virus-1657590

Has there been any official talk of what exactly is causing this outbreak to be different? I think I read that it doesn't seem to be a mutation of the virus, so it must be something else. But what? Generally waning population immunity (since smallpox vaccine stopped in 70s)?

it is still not known. Speculation includes waning immunity combined with potentially undetected low level circulation in human populations for the last couple of years followed by a chance happening of spread in a particular environment (canary island pride event and other gay festivals recently in Europe).

This weekend there has been some talk amongst scientists about a bunch of interesting and unusual mutations across sequences from multiple new patients in this outbreak, which appear to have occurred at a much higher rate than expected.

However, these mutations may not represent the virus better adapting to humans. They could be more like the hallmark of the virus passing between humans undetected for a while. Still too early to say.

Here’s the technical discussion of those mutations

virological.org/t/discussion-of-on-going-mpxv-genome-sequencing/802

Well, me and DS would be screwed vaccine wise - both have eczema so wouldn't be able to have the original, not sure about the new one! Interesting thread here though, largely very measured and informative.

I've been wondering about that @Reesewithafork. I have dermatitis but I don't know whether it's actually eczema or not. Even if it's not I'd be nervous about having the vaccine because of it.

I was born in 1958 and had the jab when I was young, not sure what happened then with eczema as it is something that a lot of babies have or is it just recently that babies had eczema. DS born in 1992 had eczema until he was about 3, I get pompolyx which is a form of eczema on the hands and feet, eczema in different forms is quite widespread nowadays.

@User487216 I think there is just much more awareness about eczema and dermatitis these days. DS had eczema as a baby. Started around 5 months old - my mum was insistent his red cheeks was a sign of teething but I wasn't convinced and it was indeed eczema. At age 48 I discovered that I had eczema and dermatitis, this had just been put down as 'dry skin' in my childhood / teens so I had just put up with it all my life.

"Monkeypox is to be listed as a notifiable disease in law from 8 June, the UK Health Security Agency has said."

news.sky.com/story/monkeypox-designated-a-notifiable-disease-ukhsa-says-12629461

A little surprised it wasn't already the case, but there you go!

I'm about -100 worried on the scale about this, same as I was with covid!

The media aren't happy unless they have us all in a constant state of fear and I refuse to live like that!

I haven't really seen any fear mongering about this. Every article I've read points out that it doesn't spread easily.

One study put monkeypox R number at 2.13, compared to an estimated R number of 12 for BA.2 Omicron.

I'm not worried about it, but I am interested in why it's spreading differently at the moment.

Is this still news? I've seen nothing about it for ages

Really? The number of new cases is reported regularly on the main news sites. Over 300 cases in the UK now (compared to 7 cases of monkeypox in the UK between 2018 and 2021).