If you haven’t been concerned at all about monkeypox, Joe Biden wants to make sure that you are.
Biden was in South Korea and embarrassed us when he incorrectly named the South Korean president while standing right next to him.
But he wanted to make sure that we got the fear porn, if we hadn’t yet.
“Everybody should be concerned about [it],” Biden said in South Korea, while speaking with a group of reporters before he boarded Air Force One for Japan, Reuters reported.
The president’s remarks come as numerous outbreaks of monkeypox were reported in Africa, followed by other reported cases in Europe and the U.S.
“We’re working on it, hard to figure out what we do,” added Biden.
There are approximately 80 cases confirmed worldwide, and 50 other suspected cases. The U.S. only confirmed two cases in Massachusetts after an individual was diagnosed. One other man was found to have monkeypox in New York City.
As my colleague Bob Hoge reported, monkeypox isn’t exactly new, it’s been around for many years, although it’s relatively rare. It was reported in Dallas in 2012, as well as cases that have occurred in other parts of the U.S. What is most concerning about the current spread of this disease is that those in Canada, Britain, Spain Portugal, Italy and Sweden who now have it seem not to have traveled to Africa.
Nature is the best!
Jay Hooper is a physician at Fort Detrick’s US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. He says monkeypox does not transmit SARS-CoV-2. It doesn’t transmit from person to person as readily, and because it is related to the smallpox virus, there are already treatments and vaccines on hand for curbing its spread. So while scientists are concerned, because any new viral behaviour is worrying — they are not panicked.
SARS-CoV-2 spreads via tiny, airborne drops known as aerosols. Monkeypox, however, is believed to be spread by close contact with bodily fluids such as saliva or coughing. Hooper states that monkeypox will infect far less people than SARS-CoV-2. While both viruses may cause flu-like symptoms in some people, monkeypox can also trigger enlarged lymph nodes, and eventually distinctive fluid-filled lesion on the feet, face, and hands. Monkeypox is usually treated within a week.
There’s also a relationship cluster to gay men among the cases, and it’s believed to relate to the less serious strain in West Africa, where only about one percent in poor areas died.
Although no cases have been reported, there are still possible deaths. In fact, a vaccine to prevent monkeypox has already been developed. The U.S. purchased 13 million doses of vaccine after hearing about the Massachusetts case. As Hoge observed, are they “not telling us something” here, when they’re buying that much? But it sounds like we’re putting a lot of money in some pharmaceutical company’s pocket.
After the increase in European cases, Belgium became the first nation to implement a mandatory, 21-day monkeypox vaccine quarantine. For three weeks, people will need to be self-isolated. Three cases have been filed in Belgium so far.
Although there was much to worry about in COVID’s aftermath, it made things even worse for those who were exposed to the government’s fear propaganda. As Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” We surely did find out how true this was over the past two years. The midterms! Don’t try to sell it to us again.
About Post Author
