By Dempsey Clancy-Symond
Monkeypox, originally discovered in Denmark in 1958, has resurfaced globally, with Sacramento, California currently seeing the highest number of cases in the state as of 2024. The virus, which can spread through skin-to-skin contact, is causing renewed concern.
Monkeypox starts with a fever, mild body aches, discomfort, and muscle pain. However, these symptoms shouldn’t be confused with the flu, as Monkeypox and the flu are quite different in many ways. After these initial symptoms, rashes typically appear, which then develop into firm lumps, blisters, and eventually scabs. Currently, there are no approved treatments specifically for Monkeypox, but an antiviral medication called Tecovirimat, which is used to treat Smallpox, can help people with severe symptoms or illness caused by Monkeypox. Monkeypox is a global threat, and some fear it could lead to another lockdown, similar to Covid. The virus saw a notable outbreak during the Covid lockdown around 2022, which is why some people can imagine another lockdown, and while cases had decreased significantly since then, they are now starting to rise again.
“Several outbreaks of different clades of Monkeypox have occurred in various countries, with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.” The World Health Organization stated, “The emergence of a new clade of monkeypox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying.”
Assistant Professor Seth Blumberg from UC San Francisco reported that people who rapidly took action to the outbreak possibly increased the virus’s spread because of taking too many precautions. Although those people allegedly increased Monkeypox cases, the fatality rate now is low. While 5% of people infected with the old strain did not recover, the newer strain has a fatality rate of only 1%, making it much less deadly and less need for heightened surveillance. Of course, you can’t trust everything you see on the internet, especially on TikTok. While some information about Monkeypox on TikTok is accurate, it’s best to seek information from reliable sources like a doctor or the World Health Organization for information. Although it is unlikely that the current outbreak will lead to another lockdown, it’s always wise to remain cautious and take necessary precautions.
“If an outbreak were to ever occur, we would need to follow the CDC guidelines for COVID and go from there,” Nurse Roxanna said, “If it gets bad we might have to close school down again, and vaccinations and all that.”
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