Stories have been circulating the internet drawing attention to recent outbreaks of Mpox in Africa. The first cases broke out in 2022 however recent Tiktoks gave an impression that the threat of the disease was new. But for anyone worried about any future lockdowns, it is safe to say there should be no worries about Mpox ruining this school year.
Mpox is an infectious disease that was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys, giving it the name Monkeypox. However, that term can be seen as derogatory so it should be referred to as Mpox. It spread to humans for the first time in 1970 and since then there have been two strands. The first strain is ‘Clade 1’ which is more deadly and mainly found in Central Africa.
“I came across it on Tiktok but I wasn’t sure what to believe or not so I didn’t think too much about it,” senior Urja Shah said.
Concern for this disease has quickly risen due to the deceptive information that has been covering the internet. Videos on Tiktok have compared the Mpox breakout to Covid-19, although the two illnesses are very different.
“Covid is a lot more contagious, especially since it’s aerosol spread, more so they’ve learned compared to Mpox,” school nurse Kathy McDonald said.
Mpox is far less contagious than Covid-19. It can only be spread if you are showing symptoms, and it is contracted through much closer and intimate contact then Covid-19. With many high school students having gone through unprecedented lockdown experiences, they can be very susceptible to false news circulating online in what can be seen as similar illnesses.
Social media can be a helpful and harmful tool in terms of spreading information. In some cases it can be a good place to reach a younger audience and inform them of current events, but it can also be a platform to quickly spread rumors.
“You can find reliable information on the CDC website, Cleveland Clinic website, those are probably the two best, and the Mayo Clinic website,” McDonald said.
In 2016 especially, the fake news spread by the media was heavily analyzed and new concern rose due to the realization that social media has been rising in audiences, therefore playing more of a role in current events. According to Pew Research center about 54% of adults get news from social media and this has been growing over recent years. Social media should not be relied on for information, so make sure to research through other sources.
