There have been increasing rumors of another lockdown on social media recently. What is Mpox or Monkeypox? Will this new virus cause another lockdown like in 2020? COVID 2.0? Well to clarify, research suggests we will not have a lockdown like we did four years ago.
Mpox, better known as Monkeypox, is a viral virus that spreads similarly to Covid-19. You can catch it by touching or using something after a virus carrier, although it’s spreading almost 21 times slower. Many concerns and untruthful words are being spread on social media about the current spread of Mpox. Monkeypox was discovered back in 1958, while Covid was only discovered in 2019.
Therefore, Mpox is NOT NEW, but it has had some mutations that make it more of a threat. The official bad outbreak was two years ago in 2022-2023. Which yes, means that factually there is no current big outbreak of Mpox, although that doesn’t mean that it isn’t currently spreading at all.
Dimie Ogoina is the president of the Nigerian Infectious Disease Society and is the Chief Medical Director of the NDUTH. Professor Dimie Ogoina has said, “Mpox, originating in Africa, was neglected there, and later caused a global outbreak in 2022. It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself.” This quote shows that Monkey pox was almost “neglected” in Africa which had caused the global outbreak and the current spread of it. Yes, this is true as almost all of the cases of Monkeypox originated from Africa and still are in Africa.
Well, what are clades 1&2? Clades 1&2 are the “virus types,” if you will, of Mpox. Clade 1 was the first variant that had spread in Central and Eastern Africa. Clade 1 has had more deaths on record than Clade 2 with a 10% death rate (the current rate is 1-3.3%). Clade 2 is way less deadly at a 0.01% death rate and is the newest type.
If Mpox isn’t spreading quite like Covid, why is it threatening? The most common indication that you have Mpox is the rashes, which can appear all over your body. These rashes are not regular rashes, as they consist of pimple or blister-looking bulges similar to those of chickenpox.
Marwan Mikheal Azar or Dr. Azar said, “Swollen lymph nodes can be a telltale sign, after which a rash appears. The rash usually starts off like a spot.” Other virus symptoms can include fevers, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches, backache, headaches, and respiratory symptoms.
So finally, what does all this say about what’s happening today? Well, currently there are only 20,000 cases of Monkey Pox, and there are small outbreaks in the United States. Though there is no exponential risk of another lockdown, you can rest your head knowing that. Monkeypox is simply almost a puny version of Covid 19 and is no serious threat. This does NOT mean you shouldn’t remain safe, wash your hands regularly, and take precautions, but it is not time to panic.
