The unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox was described by a leading adviser to the World Health Organization in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by risky sexual behavior among homosexual and bisexual men at two raves, two recent mass events in Europe.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergency department, said the leading theory to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission among gay and bisexual men at two raves held in Spain and Belgium. Monkeypox has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond Africa, where it is endemic in animals.
Here’s what Heymann told the Associated Press:
“We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission,”
That marks a significant departure from the disease’s typical pattern of spread in central and western Africa, where people are mainly infected by animals like wild rodents and primates, and outbreaks have not spilled across borders.
To date, WHO has recorded more than 90 cases of monkeypox in a dozen countries including Britain, Spain, Israel, France, Switzerland, the US, and Australia.
Dr. Robert Malone emphasized in an interview Saturday with “War Room” that the disease’s mortality rate in humans is less than 1%, and the cases in the West so far have been limited to men who have sex with men.
Malone said:
“It’s absolutely another case of the government and the media cooperating to spin up more fear that is absolutely unfounded.”
Here’s what Malone wrote On his Substack page:
In my opinion, based on currently available information, Monkeypox is a virus and disease which is endemic in Africa, emerges sporadically after transmission into humans from animal hosts, and is typically spread by close human contact. It is readily controlled by classical public health measures. It does not have a high mortality rate. Unless there has been some genetic alteration, either through evolution or intentional genetic manipulation, it is not a significant biothreat, and has never been considered a high threat pathogen in the past.
More from WND reports:
The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe, Hans Kluge, said Friday the cases of monkeypox “currently being detected are among those engaging in sexual activity.”
He said the continent should expect a wave of monkeypox. The spread in Western Europe, he said, is “atypical,” as most previous cases were confined to central and West Africa.
“As we enter the summer season … with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission [of monkeypox] could accelerate,” Kluge said.
Asked to comment on Biden’s “concern” about monkeypox, White House health adviser Dr. Ashish Jha downplayed the outbreak, telling ABC News’ Martha Raddatz it’s a virus “that we understand.”
“We have vaccines against it, we have treatments against it, and it spreads very differently than SARS-CoV-2,” he said.
On monkeypox cases, Dr. Ashish Jha tells @MarthaRaddatz that “this is a virus we understand.”
“We have vaccines against it, we have treatments against it, and it spreads very differently than SARS-CoV-2.” https://t.co/e9NsaSMM7V pic.twitter.com/L6jCArk5Hs
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 22, 2022
Health officials are investigating Florida’s first presumptive positive case of monkeypox, the Palm Beach Post reported. A state health department spokesman said the singular case is related to international travel and the person is isolated.
You can watch the “War Room” interview with Dr. Robert Malone here: WND/Rumble
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