Free Republic

The central African nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is battling a record number of cases of mpox, fueled by a strain with a higher death rate than the variant that spread in Europe and America in 2022. Getting the DRC outbreak under control, and containing it to within that country, is imperative, experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report issued Thursday. The spread of the lethal clade I strain of mpox "raises concerns that the virus could spread to other countries and underscores the importance of coordinated, urgent global action...

A mutant strain of monkeypox with 'pandemic potential' has been found in a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus is a descendent of the deadlier clade 1 mpox strain, but has evolved to become even more infectious and better at evading tests than its predecessor. The concerning discovery was made in Kamituga – a poor, densely populated gold mining town that is feared to be ripe for an explosive outbreak. So far there have been 108 cases. Researchers who detailed the virus in a pre-print have called for 'urgent measures' to contain the virus and avoid a...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged there is no data supporting the co-administration of vaccines for mpox, COVID-19, and influenza, in contradiction of advice a top agency official gave to the public."There are no data on administering JYNNEOS vaccine at the same time as other vaccines," the CDC said.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 25, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)The acknowledgment was made in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by attorneys for the nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network, which regularly challenges health agencies...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in the midst of an mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) outbreak that has led to nearly 600 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Unlike last year’s global outbreak, this one involves a different type of mpox virus (Clade I) that causes more severe disease. For the first time, sexual transmission of this strain is playing a role, especially among men who have sex with men.

People living with HIV are not more likely to be hospitalized with severe mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) unless they have advanced immune suppression, underscoring the importance of prompt antiretroviral treatment, according to study findings presented at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (#IAS2023). To that end, experts recommend that people who present for mpox vaccination, testing or treatment should be tested for HIV if they do not already know their status and linked to care if they are not on antiretroviral therapy. “For individuals with unknown HIV status, mpox testing can be an opportunity for HIV testing,...

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Chem Bio Traditionally, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) were Chemical, Biological, Radiologic and Nuclear (CBRN). The people of the world don’t want them used on us—they are cheap ways to kill and maim lots of people at once. And so international treaties were created to try to prevent their development (sometimes) and use. First was the Geneva Protocol of 1925, banning the use of biological and chemical weapons in war. The US and many nations signed it, but it took 50 years for the US to ratify it, so we believed we were not bound by...

Gay and bi men in some counties in Florida may be at greater risk of a resurgence in mpox (formerly known as monkeypox). It appears that only a minority of gay men in the state received both doses of the mpox vaccine. Since the mpox outbreak of last summer, 30,000 people in the US have been diagnosed with the infection, with the majority of infections among gay and bi men. There have been around 40 deaths. Just over half of those were in people with advanced HIV and compromised immune systems. In recent weeks, there have been concerns of a...

Search... Remember monkeypox? Given how quickly the panic involving the transmissible disease came and went, you may not, but back in 2022, the panic got so bad that California declared a state of emergency. Further, the White House decided to appoint a monkeypox czar. He’s a controversial figure, to say the least. Demetre Daskalakis is his name, and he has a checkered history, having served as Deputy Commissioner of New York’s Division of Disease Control. Apparently, he did so a great job formulating one of the worst COVID responses in the country that he earned a job in the White...

Mpox cases recently showed a small spike in the Chicago area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was a total of 12 confirmed and one probable case of mpox reported to the Chicago Department of Public Health between April 17 to May 5. All cases were among symptomatic men and none were hospitalized. Nine (69 percent) of 13 cases were among men who had received two JYNNEOS vaccine doses. The new case rate was the highest in Chicago since November 2022 and the highest weekly rate in any U.S. region so far this year.

Anyone can become ill from mpox, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that more than 99% of mpox cases in the United States in the 2022 outbreak have been among men who have sex with men. However, mpox is not generally considered a sexually transmitted disease.

Gov. Gavin Newsom rescinded the statewide emergency declaration for mpox this week, citing that state residents are no longer in "extreme peril" due to the virus. Newsom issued the state of emergency for mpox, initially known as monkeypox, on Aug. 1, 2022. The declaration enabled the state to collaborate more efficiently with local governments to vaccinate at-risk people and quickly stand up vaccination and testing clinics. At that time, the state was receiving paltry dispersals of the Jynneos vaccine for mpox from the federal government. Meanwhile, confirmed and suspected cases were skyrocketing in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles....

Less than six months ago, mpox was an exploding health crisis. What had been an obscure disease from Africa was ripping through European and U.S. gay communities. Precious doses of an unproven vaccine were in short supply. International officials declared health emergencies. Today, reports of new cases are down to a trickle in the U.S. Health officials are shutting down emergency mobilizations. The threat seems to have virtually disappeared from the public consciousness. “We’re in a remarkably different place,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. “It’s really impressive how that peak has come down to very,...

- Paul Pelosi was attacked in his home on Oct. 28 by a man authorities said was looking for his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. - Pelosi and the suspect, David DePape, did not know each other, authorities said. - Photos of Pelosi at the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 4 do not show any mpox scars on his chin. **SNIP** The attack on Pelosi in his San Francisco home has sparked numerous conspiracy theories, many of which we’ve debunked. His first public appearance sparked another. This one appears to play off the baseless conspiracy that he and his attacker...

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that monkeypox is to be renamed "mpox" in English. "Following a series of consultations with global experts, WHO will begin using a new preferred term 'mpox' as a synonym for monkeypox. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while 'monkeypox' is phased out," the UN health agency said in a statement. The monkeypox virus was originally identified in monkeys in 1958, but can infect a number of other animals, and is more frequently found in rodents. Although global infection numbers have been declining since August, the virus remains a problem...

The World Health Organization announced on Monday that it is renaming monkeypox as mpox due to concerns that the original name could be perceived as racist or stigmatizing. Driving the news: Both the monkeypox and mpox names will be used by WHO over the next year as the term "monkeypox" is gradually phased out, WHO said in a press release. "When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and in some communities was observed and reported to WHO," the press release stated. WHO began consulting with experts about potentially renaming the...

California health officials Friday confirmed they are avoiding using the term "monkeypox" and will now refer to it as "mpox" or “MPX.”