To ask if you are worried about monkeypox?

[WhenTheNightFalls]

Can't help but feel a little anxious about it all. Aibu?

Am a little concerned now if I am honest especially reading up about Belgium and it's enforced quarantine for those that have it. Seems horribly familiar.

In effect Covid was the boy who cried wolf because the media had hyped up so many things previously a lot people struggled to take it seriously until just before we locked down

I agree, and the "crying wolf" thing is a particular concern because of the effect it could have if we ever get a virus with a genuinely high fatality rate

Of course the fatalities aren't the only issue, but should the worst happen I worry that, instead of taking due care, folk will think "Oh god, here we go again"

I’m a little concerned because children seem to get worse symptoms apparently - but I’m finding the description of the initial symptoms very vague, all pictures of the rashes seem to be when it’s well established so I’m not sure I would pick up on it if DS had it.
the DM is reporting there is a child seriously ill in hospital in London with it which is what has started me feeling uneasy, I think because it’s all so horribly familiar.

it’s very odd that after years of it being very rare over here, we are having this community transmission.

No, not currently, although I am keeping an eye on the news. I am too busy recovering from a bloody virus. I avoided the really bad coughing after a cold in 2021...I usually get it once or twice a year.

We have a vaccine already.

I do wonder whether the early signs of it are a bit vague though, hence lots more people catching it than you would expect from something quite distinctive later on.

It keeps being mentioned which I find worrying in itself. However, I do think the media is keen to whip us up into another 'everyone's going to die' frenzy so my eye is on it but not yet with real concern.

I think what we need to be more concerned about is possible food secruity problems, rising food costs and rising gas/electric and the impact of that - from the potential of seeing a return of disease and conditions of the past related to poor nutrition, the cold, poorer washing habits etc etc. Those issues will see any potential future outbreak of anything is a lot worse than it could be.

I'm worried because children don't fare so well. Also, I find it funny that so many people think that because there are hardly any cases, it's not a potential problem. Déjà-vu, anyone!?

No.

I'm not really a worrier about health things, I can find other things (loads of them) to worry about but health has never been one of them. Came as a shock when I got covid in February and was very ill when it turned into pneumonia and I'm still not 100%. I just never thought it would be an issue for me.

One thing that gave me pause was an "expert" (can't remember who he was) talking about pandemics and he went on to talk about HIV in the 80s. He said one thing that they never let get out to the public was the worry it would become airborne. At that time the fatality rate was 100% or as near as so can you imagine the panic that would have caused. So I don't think the powers that be want mass panic.

It did make me think. Would any of us still be alive if it had happened?

I think I am too tired from getting through covid etc to be worried about Monkeypox at the moment. I was worried about Covid though. Don't know why I am not so scared of this one. Maybe the name is less scary. Don't know

I am more worried about costs, food security and that sort of thing at the moment, petrol prices, heating over the winter and so on. I think we are in for a bumpy few years. Monkeypox is probably a reasonable distraction.

This has been brewing for a few years

www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00241/full

Thank you for this. I've just read the intro and have saved it for a proper read.

The first time I heard of monkeypox was an early WHO covid press conference (summer 2020 I think). Dr Mike Ryan was very diplomatically ranting about western nations caring more about politics than public health. He ran off a big list of 'neglected tropical diseases' that some countries were already trying to cope with, on top of widespread malnutrition, poorly controlled and treated HIV, and actually collapsing health systems.

Monkeypox was on the list and I'd never heard of it so I googled and found the pictures of poor little kids in DRC covered in pustules (the ones that are doing the rounds now), read a bit about it and filed it under 'not as bad as ebola' and 'not happening here'.

I've seen a lot of talk about media racism because this is a european and north american outbreak and pictures of black patients are being used.

There are very few pictures of white people with monkey pox because it's a neglected tropical disease that usually only happens to black people who live a long way away so nobody cares. There is the racism.

And more fool us.

Science wise, what struck me was that human-to-human transmission was well documented for the more severe central african strain but not for the milder west african strain which is the one now circulating. This does suggest the virus itself has changed.

Like Ebola, as soon as something escapes Africa, it’s tackled through vaccines etc. While it’s in Africa, who cares, right?

It will only be something to worry about if the WHO get involved.

It does seem that way.

Those statistics are for the severe strain - not the strain circulating here, for which the fatality rate is less than 1%.

No, it doesn’t.

Oh my. There are some poorly educated posters on this thread.

I'm not but my 13 year old is.

Sad after affects of the last 3 years..

WHO are involved.

www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON385

They have been involved since monkeypox appeared in humans in the 1970s. They're also involved with all the other 'neglected tropical diseases' we have not yet been forced to notice. Nobody else is because these diseases are not profitable.

I'm really quite worried about the WHO conspiracies. I don't know what people think will happen if we do away with them.

Forgive me if I'm suspicious!

Nothing will happen. Just like nothing happens now despite them being there. In fact they actually make it worse. That’s the point. These institutions are talking shops to give jobs to people who failed in domestic politics.

Let’s see:
WHO, as well as spectacularly missing the source of the virus, went big on urging governments to take action - lockdowns. Criticized those that didn’t. The effects of lockdown will kill more people due to runaway inflation and 30k people being pushed into extreme poverty every 11 hours around the world (Radio 4 this morning had these statistics).

WHO, like with Monkeypox, were taking public money, beating the drum about Ebola since the 70s too. What did they achieve other than waste taxpayer funds. Nothing. As soon as Ebola reached North America in 2010s, within 6 months there was a vaccine.

The UN stood by and actually helped cause the massacre of 800k Tutsis in Rwanda while the troops stood by and watched. Literally stood and watched while people were hacked to death with Machetes.

The UN, again went on another one of their ‘peacekeeping’ missions to Bosnia. Result - 70k Muslim men and Boys massacred on their watch.
We all know what a sterling job UN did for Iraq, Afghanistan, Rohingyas in Burma etc.

The great and the good are in Davos today, including charities. Talking about the economic crisis. Yep, they really are. You couldn’t make it up.

These organizations are fleecing taxpayers, and the return on investment is there for all to see. Good luck if you expect them to solve anything for you.

I wasn't worried at all, until I read a child is in ICU in London, clearly they haven't caught it from sexual activity. I am much more concerned now yes.

There is at least a vaccine, and I understand the government have already put in a mass order. I am glad the children will be doing their exams now, and if the worst happens we can break up early for the summer. As I guess the roll out will be medical staff first, the vulnerable etc etc.

It is however the last thing the country/the world needs right now, but it should pass....faster than covid as at least the vaccine is available now.

clearly they haven't caught it from sexual activity

No one's saying it's sexually transmitted. It's spread via close body contact, which would include but isn't limited to sex.

Some woman "expert" was in the papers yesterday saying that if you thought you might have caught Monkeypox it would not be a good idea to be in a doctor's waiting room with other people as it would be likely that they would catch it from you.

I thought this was spread by sexual contact only. Misinformation like this is ridiculous and likely to spread panic. There are too many "experts".......