Quit Monkeying Around!

Disclaimer Alert: I am not a medical doctor, and I do not have a medical license to practice medicine. I have done a lot of research on viruses over many years, so much so that I would consider myself an armchair expert on the subject. But legally I can’t give anyone medical advice, so use my information at your discretion.

As of the writing of this article, there are 200 reported cases of monkeypox worldwide. Belgium has officially declared a 21-day quarantine period for those infected with the virus. Monkeypox is an infectious disease that causes a blister-like rash, swollen lymph nodes, and a fever. In the US, there have been ten reported cases in several states. Much like every current event for every fact that gets posted, ten pieces of false information often follow. Today, I’m going to answer the questions my friends ask me the most.

It was invented in a lab in PA and released in a truck crash.

This story has been circulating the internet since the first reports came in about Monkeypox. A truck carrying 100 primates to a medical lab crashed in Danville, Pennsylvania on January 21, 2022. State Troopers quickly secured the scene, but four monkeys were missing. That night, a reporter found one in a tree, while they captured the three others on January 25th. With Monkeypox raising, this brought the crash back into the public spotlight. The crash also leads conspiracy theorists to link the two events as similar. Unfortunately, this is wrong. As mentioned before, the crash took place in January, but the first confirmed case was in May. Monkeypox has an incubation period of 5-21 days. If the virus doesn’t infect you during this time, it dies. This would mean they have to report the first case from January 30 to February 15. The first reported cases are in Massachusetts, over 300 miles away from the crash. As of now, there are no cases of infection in Pennsylvania.

It’s fake! I saw a report where they used a shingles picture!

When the outbreak started, a journalist made a major error that many others repeated. This led many people to question whether or not the disease is real. Monkeypox is from the family (genus) Orthopox, which includes Cowpox, Uasin Gishu disease, and the deadly Smallpox. Shingles is a member of the Varicella-Zoster family which has Herpes, Cytomegalovirus, and its famous sibling Chickenpox. So the two are not in the same family. Many illnesses share similar symptoms, for example, coughing. Coughing could mean anything from a common cold to cancer. The reporter pulled the first Google image that looked similar to the rash you get from Monkeypox without fact-checking first. Had they done their homework, this rumor probably wouldn’t have begun.

I have the Smallpox vaccine, so I should be immune to it.

Yes, and no. Yes, the smallpox vaccine has antibodies similar to Monkeypox, but it won’t offer you full protection from it. How I explain this is to consider viruses like a fruit stand. Everyone is in the same group, but all look, taste, and feel different. For this example, let’s use cherries for Smallpox, and we’ll make Monkeypox bananas for reasons. The Smallpox vaccine loves cherries and will eat up cherries like nothing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t like bananas as much. They’ll nibble on them if they’re the only thing available, but they won’t consume them like they do cherries. The same goes for viruses. Having the Smallpox vaccine will provide little to no protection. Also, you might not have gotten the Smallpox vaccine. Mandatory vaccinations for Smallpox ended in 1972 when it was officially declared eradicated in the US. If you were born after 1972, then you do not have the vaccine.

It’s okay, I still have my COVID mask.

Medical-grade N95 masks can protect you, but your COVID mask might be useless. For starters, they have scientifically proven cloth masks to be ineffective at preventing the transmission of viral cells. The material is too porous, thus allowing microscopic material to slide on through. Disposable N95 masks are good, but only for short-term use only. The filter breaks down in 20 minutes, or after five repeated uses. Meaning it won’t be any good at holding back viruses after this window. The wear and tear of being balled up and stuffed into your pocket also hurt its integrity over time. If loose-fitted or dirty, the mask is pretty much garbage. A gas mask has the same problems, but at least the filter lasts for eight hours.

It’s spread like THAT!

The latest story is that it’s spread through intercourse, which is not true. Monkeypox is not an STD. It’s transmitted when a person comes in contact with another infected human or animal. It enters the body through broken skin (an open cut or sore), the respiratory tract (coughing or sneezing), or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). You can also catch it from handling material contaminated with the virus, like linen or clothes, or being bitten by a sick animal carrying the virus. The most common way to catch it is by prolonged face-to-face contact with someone sick with the disease, or if someone is sick next to you, coughing and sneezing. Coming into contact with body fluids, like spit, or material that came into contact with infected lesions (those blisters) can also get you infected, but these types of cases are rare.