Contrary to misinformation, mpox isn’t expected to cause lockdowns or a pandemic

Ever since the World Health Organization labeled the mpox, previously known as monkeypox, outbreaks in the Congo and African nations a global health emergency, many have questioned if the disease could become a pandemic resulting in lockdowns similar to those experienced during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mpox is an infectious viral zoonotic disease, which means it can spread between humans and animals. The disease belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox. A common symptom is an itchy and painful rash that forms lesions or blisters on the skin. Other symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, and headache. While mpox is endemic in Central and West Africa, it has spread outside these regions before. In 2022, WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) due to a multi-country disease outbreak. The disease spread around the world in its biggest outbreak to date, ultimately reaching 111 countries and 87,000 cases.

The United States faced a large outbreak with more than 30,000 cases. However, by early 2023, the spread of the disease declined due to vaccinations and increased awareness, resulting in the withdrawal of the PHEIC label. Now, WHO has reinstated its declaration that the outbreaks in Africa are a global health emergency.

Will there be an mpox lockdown?

WHO recently declared mpox a global health emergency again due to a worsening outbreak in Africa. What’s different about the recent outbreak is that it is driven by a relatively new strain of the disease, clade Ib. Clade II was responsible for the 2022 outbreak, but the latest outbreak is caused by the clade I subset, clade Ib, which causes more severe disease and may spread more easily. Cases in Central and East Africa continue rising, reaching 17,000 cases this year as opposed to 14,957 last year. Meanwhile, WHO also announced that the first case outside Africa was confirmed in Sweden.

It wasn’t long before WHO’s declaration of the global health emergency sparked hysteria, especially among misinformed conservatives in America. Conservatives instantly began labeling it a conspiracy to interfere with the upcoming U.S. Presidential election and quickly began circulating the pathetic hashtag #DoNotComply to warn people not to agree to vaccine or quarantine mandates, even though the new strain of the virus hasn’t even arrived in the country yet. Although health officials are preparing for the potential arrival of the new mpox strain in the United States, it isn’t expected to follow the trajectory of COVID-19 and spark a pandemic or lockdowns.

The main reason experts aren’t recommending lockdowns or anticipating a pandemic is that mpox doesn’t spread as easily as COVID-19. Mpox is not an airborne disease and instead requires direct contact to spread. It can spread through sex, kissing, touching someone’s rash, or through sharing towels, clothing, or bedding. While researchers are still probing how contagious new strains are, the disease doesn’t appear to be airborne spread yet. On top of that, WHO’s public health emergency declaration is meant to stop the spread of the disease before it becomes a pandemic. Its declaration was to give other countries time to prepare for a potential outbreak and to encourage aid and vaccine donations to Africa to get the outbreak under control.

Despite the spread of misinformation online, it’s unlikely that mpox will follow the path of COVID-19 and require lockdowns worldwide.