HEALTH: The Facts About Monkeypox
We’re not even done with COVID yet and everyone’s worrying about monkeypox becoming a pandemic. But it’s unlikely to be nearly as widespread or deadly. Here are some basics you should know:
- Yes, it causes a rash like chickenpox, but it generally starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, swollen glands, muscle aches and headaches.
- It is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it is transmitted by sustained skin-to-skin contact. You won’t get it from a quick handshake or even sitting on a public toilet.
- Don’t blame the gay community -- it just happened to take hold among gay men first, but anyone can get it with skin-to-skin contact.
- The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to be careful about who you have sex with. If you’re not in a high-risk group, you really don’t need to worry at this point.
- There is a vaccine, but supplies are limited, and unless you’re at high risk, you really don’t need it.
- There is an antiviral that can reduce symptoms. It’s called TPOXX.
- No, you can’t get monkeypox from monkeys. It was first identified in monkeys, and the WHO is trying to change the name to avoid confusion.
- The virus is evolving, but much more slowly than COVID does. That’s because its genes come in the form of DNA, not RNA like SARS-CoV-2.