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?

I searched for a thread earlier and, oddly, came across one from almost exactly a year ago:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/coronavirus/4267385-monkeybox-now

Psychic poster?

Was discussing it with dh earlier I kept repeating coughs and sneezes spreads disease, s showing my age too 😅

I'm not particularly worried - although the monkeypox spots are a bit WTF!

However, assuming that it's still correct that you need close skin to skin contact to catch it, it hopefully shouldn't become too much of a problem.

Most people can avoid rubbing up naked against other people in the supermarket. Possibly catching Covid by simply breathing though was clearly a lot more difficult.

On a scale of 1-10?....a big fat 0

It's just another scaremongering story that main stream media put out,

That poster sounds very unwell.

Could you stare into my eyes whilst you're saying that? Please

Probably a 5. I have been a 0 for covid. I

I don’t think monkeypox is a high risk/too dangerous, but although apparently mild, the rash seems so horrific, I think it would be unbearable to have it yourself or look after anyone else who has it. I appreciate that sounds very snowflake-y, but I honestly think I would have to keep my eyes closed the whole time.

I feel very bad for those who have it, and respect those in healthcare looking after those with it.

I appreciate that this is a me problem rather than a general problem. And I know it’s not rational as covid is potentially fatal and has killed so many people worldwide. It’s just that the symptoms seemed more ‘normal’, ie respiratory.

Obvs that was because you have Tim Booth's eyes, not because I'm needy for reassurance although I am

That’s reassuring.

im a 5 currently (mainly due to remembering talking about C19 in feb 2020 at work and us not being worried, 2years of hell ensued ☹️)

I think we need to be wary of considering it 'mild'. What is meant by 'mild' varies considerably depending on who is saying it. The NHS website says that monkeypox has a mortality rate between 1 and 10%. Even if this is a mild strain, that is 1 in 100 people who get it die, significantly higher than the covid mortality rate.
The good news is it is much harder to catch, but if it does spread through coughs and sneezes then if it were to take hold in children in a nursery/school environment we would have a serious problem. It also spreads fairly easily within a household.
I don't think we should panic yet, but I think the health authorities really do need to get on top of this quickly, which should be entirely possible. I'm not sure I trust them to though, after the mess of covid.

Smallpox vaccine is apparently effective against it, which is good, assuming we have some.

Oops posted too quickly. I'm on about 5 because if anything scuppers my imminent holiday I'll be very upset, but really about 2.

Also coughs and sneezes must always be followed by spread diseases, even if silently.

I don't think UKHSA (formerly PHE) at into media scaremongering. It's real, but hopefully mostly meh.

"It also spreads fairly easily within a household.
I don't think we should panic yet, but I think the health authorities really do need to get on top of this quickly, which should be entirely possible. I'm not sure I trust them to though, after the mess of covid"

I think is a good point. My panic perspective was somewhat fucked up by those CV19 letters from "Matt" (sent to CEV people advising them to stay inside and even away from household members). I quote

"The safest course of action is for you to stay at home at all times and avoid all face to face contacts for at least twelve weeks"

And even within your own home -

"Aim to keep 2 metres/three steps from others and encourage them to sleep in a different bed"

Receiving letters like that and trying to live like that, kind of properly fucks up your Panic Scale perspective. I'm very angry about that aspect of it. I won't ever live my life like that no matter what the risk is, but I am trying to get a proper perspective of the risk anyway. If that makes sense?

FWIW I'm not worried about monkeypox but...

Are you sure that's what they said? I have seen articles thinking it may be sexually transmitted, but it's certainly not mainly sexually transmitted.

edition.cnn.com/2022/05/19/health/monkeypox-us-cases-cdc-investigation/index.html

"Both in the United Kingdom and Canada, health authorities have noted that many of the monkeypox cases were identified in men who have sex with men -- but the virus is not typically described as a sexually transmitted infection and investigations into these recent cases continue."

And it can be spread through the coughs and sneezes of someone with the rash.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61520228

I’m not too worried if what they have reported so far is actually true.

I am just hoping this is really nothing to worry about.

Covid was originally something not to worry about.

My only comfort is that they seem to be actually knowledgeable about this one.

Apparently, it has been brought in by Africans visiting their home countries and then returning to the U.K. It doesn’t concern me too much. With Covid, you could feel right from the start that this was dangerous. Somehow you could sense the fear in the experts. There has been very little discussion or panic about monkeypox, however. Probably it has only caught on because of the name.

COVID scared experts because it was new - we had no idea how it would play out. Monkeypox isn't new (though it seems to be spreading in a way that is a little unusual) and we already have a vaccine available (smallpox) that's fairly effective against it.

The smallpox vaccine is a somewhat risky one.

It's one thing to use it when there is a real risk of exposure to smallpox - because that disease has such a high fatality rate - but not so clear cut when the target disease is usually mild

There you go. 😉

If that's how it's spread I'm with you 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Haha! You sound like me! "Please, you didn't say it right, just one more time, tell me we're ok!" (ocds a bitch)
I don't want to check the figures because I know it's low, and as pps said mostly sexually transmitted. I read somewhere (obviously not sure if it just media) that homosexual and bisexual people should be more cautious, doesn't really matter though surely if you have multiple partner's 🤔
just wondering why the nhs/ government bought a few more vaccines though.
I shall thoroughly check dhs monkey nuts every day 😅

The media are putting this out to scaremonger.

This is mainly a sexually transmitted disease or through close skin-skin contact. It is not remotely like COVID, but COVID has been a good basis to whip up a new frenzy.

Even the mortality rate, while high, only applies if you fall into a specific risk category.

Remember HIV in the 80’s? The mortality from aids then was 100% and we had the same kinds of misinformation about spread, how you could catch it if you were in any kind of contact with someone with HIV, how it was readily spread if an infected person cut themselves, I even know of people who worked for companies who refused to employ gay people “in case they had aids.” The stigma attached to this was awful.

We really need t step away from the fear that every time more than a couple of cases of something are reported we’re headed fr the next lockdown. Thousands and thousands of people catch flu every year, and not just through close contact. Ditto with norrovirus, common colds, chicken pox, and those are just the common diseases, there are plenty of less common ones which have a higher spread, but because these are common diseases nobody pays any attention to those.

Coughs and sneezes spread monkey diseases 🐵