No concern yet monkeypox will cause pandemic: WHO

The WHO said Monday it was not concerned for now that the spread of monkeypox beyond the African countries where it is typically found could spark a global pandemic.

Looking forward to more updates from the agency called WHO reminding us there is nothing to fear about this.

No concern yet monkeypox will cause pandemic: WHO

Deja Vu anyone?

Remember when WHO was trying to convince the world that Covid wasn't a pandemic? Yeah....

stressing that the virus could spread among any group of people in crowded spaces with close skin-to-skin contact

that sounds pretty specific. And uncommon except for a high risk group who commonly does this.

“amplifying event” huh?

It's quite the mystery.

So many unknowns.

Experts are baffled.

Everybody sees the elephant in the room but dares to talk about it.

This may be surprising for you, but the unkowns the experts are trying to determine are not the obvious close contact mediated transmission and amplifying events described but the spreading beyond them.

Why so few people of other demographics were infected even when they were included in those contacts, is the smallpox vaccine responsible? is age an independent factor? is it cultural or related to the changes now that the risk from covid? are people transmitting it before getting symptoms?

Looking forward to more updates from the agency called WHO reminding us there is nothing to fear about this.

Yes, a scientific authority is of course worth listening, but even more when it is an agency, which means the institution has been given power to achieve some goal.

Remember when WHO was trying to convince the world that Covid wasn't a pandemic? Yeah....

When the WHO only had access to incomplete and later found false information from China there was no other valid conclusion to make, as soon as other countries offered much more trust worthy data that proved ease of human-to-human transmission the warnings and recommendations changed accordingly.

For monkeypox the data available is clear and there is no reason to think anything is being hidden by the countries where the cases are presented so the conclusions made about it are also much more likely to be correct.

purple_depressed_baconToday  08:48 am JST

Remember when WHO was trying to convince the world that Covid wasn't a pandemic? Yeah....

Absolutely.

Incredible that anyone from a developed country would blindly follow advice from this agency. It is like a patient in the US listening to an insurance company advise on whether or not to undergo a certain medical procedure.

This may be surprising for you, but the unkowns the experts are trying to determine are not the obvious close contact mediated transmission and amplifying events described but the spreading beyond them.

What is surprising is the false narrative you are promoting without any statistical data.

Yes, a scientific authority is of course worth listening, but even more when it is an agency, which means the institution has been given power to achieve some goal.

You are mistaken as to the function of an agency. Institutions inherently have no power because of their structure, so you are confused if you think the WHO has some kind of power over any sovereign nations's health strategy.

When the WHO only had access to incomplete and later found false information from China there was no other valid conclusion to make, as soon as other countries offered much more trust worthy data that proved ease of human-to-human transmission the warnings and recommendations changed accordingly.

This is what happens when laymen blindly follow the advice of a Switzerland-based agency.

No one would follow the medical advice of an insurance agency; why would anyone in a developed country listen to this "health" agency's advice on a matter that was similarly dealt with in 2003 with the SARS virus when Hong Kong medical experts advised that masks were effective to prevent infections?

Sounds like someone at the agency didn't do their homework.

Quit worrying. Monkeypox has been popping up all over the place for years. It usually fizzles out after a while. Most STDs are more of a problem, far more widespread, easier to catch and harder to treat.

One side-effect of the pandemic is the increase in a neurotic response to any unusual, new or different bug that goes around.

One side-effect of the pandemic is the increase in a neurotic response to any unusual, new or different bug that goes around.

I 100% agree!

As soon as a any kind of small piece of sh..t appears these days, the press and all the fearmongering idiots jump on the panic sheering and fearmongering train.

Nonstop looking for fearmongering news.

Because of all the unnecessary fearmongering from the Covid situation, the people are in a sensitive state of mind.

"There are still many unknowns,"

Statements like that are not necessary.

Turn the "unknowns" into "knowns", and then you can start to talk.

So it would be really helpful if the press and all the so called experts spit out those kind of news after they are sure and know exactly what they are talking about.

Incredible that anyone from a developed country would blindly follow advice from this agency

Incredible because it is not happening, the whole point of being a scientific institution, and even more an agency with power to do things is that the scientific evidence it used to make decisions and recommendations is available to the experts that do not have to "blindly" do anything.

What is surprising is the false narrative you are promoting without any statistical data.

If something is being considered an unknown is precisely because there is no data to confirm it or deny it, that is the whole point of being under consideration. To say this is not valid you would have to provide data that proves it or disprove it objectively, then it would not be necessary to keep it under consideration.

You are mistaken as to the function of an agency.

that is the meaning of the word.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agency

a person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved

You can go and say to merriam-webster that their definition are mistaken.

so you are confused if you think the WHO has some kind of power over any sovereign nations's health strategy.

Being given power is not the same as being given it over a sovereing nation, that assumption is 100% yours, so you are just disproving your own misconception.

This is what happens when laymen blindly follow the advice of a Switzerland-based agency.

This is what happens when the only country that had the information necessary to make correct decisions hides it to avoid being held responsible for an outbreak that ended up becoming a pandemic, this was corrected only when other countries provided veridic information. In 2003 the experts adviced used of masks in hospitals and that was included in later recommendations of the WHO, which gave priority to mask use for health care workers and inside places dealing with the patients instead of the general population.

As soon as a any kind of small piece of sh..t appears these days, the press and all the fearmongering idiots jump on the panic sheering and fearmongering train.

Except that the message of the media is the opposite, repeating that there is no identified reason to believe the outbreak will get out of control, this article clearly disproves your opinion about what the media is publishing. The content of the article is the opposite of fearmongering, insisting on this is more about your personal biass than the article that apparently you refused to read.

"There are still many unknowns,"

Statements like that are not necessary.

Why not? it is true and that is no reason to fear, the end result (spreading by close contact) is already well characterized, but the reason why some of the close contacts have not been infected is not, this means that it is possible that in the future more and more variables that block transmission could be identified so people can be assured they have some kind of protection. There is value in saying not everything is already known, common sense and not having an anti-scientific bias can let people understand this means there are things that still can be found to limit even more the risk.

that is the meaning of the word.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agency

a person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved

You can go and say to merriam-webster that their definition are mistaken.

So you finally admit WHO is an agency? Because for the fourth time from their website:

*Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health*

https://www.who.int/about

In 2003 the experts adviced used of masks in hospitals and that was included in later recommendations of the WHO, which gave priority to mask use for health care workers and inside places dealing with the patients instead of the general population

Wrong; the experts concluded in 2003 that certain masks could protect against becoming infected with SARS.

There was nothing magical about the mask-wearer being a hospital worker or not.

This has nothing to do with Covid vaccines or Covid medicines. I'd say stop trying to spread misinformation, but it seems that's your life's vocation.

Nobody is claiming i has anything to do with COVID vaccines or medicines. There is just a lot of suspicion about why monkeypox is getting so much exposure, and why now. It doesn't seem to be a particularly threatening disease and doesn't spread that easily. Something just doesn't smell right about it.

So you finally admit WHO is an agency? Because for the fourth time from their website:

Your argument is that being an agency makes the WHO not a scientific institution nor a scientific authority, that is the part that is wrong. Part of the meaning of being an agency is having the power to produce, collect, examine and distribute scientific information, which is why it is a scientific authority and their communications worth of attention of the professionals in charge of maintaining public health, like in this case.

Wrong; the experts concluded in 2003 that certain masks could protect against becoming infected with SARS

Yes, according to the evidence in hospitals and other places where patients were being treated, which is why the WHO recommended the masks that were scarce to be prioritized on those places, where they had demonstrated efficacy.

There is just a lot of suspicion about why monkeypox is getting so much exposure, and why now.

That should be obvious, because 400 cases in a short time in several countries is not a normal occurrence, health care professionals felt alarmed but now it seems the outbreak is not in danger of being out of control. There is nothing strange with reporting something may be dangerous and then reporting that the experts say the danger is very low.

Your argument is that being an agency makes the WHO not a scientific institution nor a scientific authority, that is the part that is wrong. 

So you finally admit WHO is an agency? Because for the fifth time from their website:

Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health

https://www.who.int/about

Just admit it. You can do it. Medical professionals recognize WHO as an agency; everyone else can too.

So you finally admit WHO is an agency? Because for the fifth time from their website:

I don't know how anybody can be more clear, from the beginning there is no denial that the WHO is an agency, what I refute is that this somehow means it is not a scientific authority with power to make conclusions and recommendations for public health. In fact it is the opposite, being an agency is precisely why it has the power to become a scientific authority.

The experts know it and that is why the communications have weight and value, this includes what is being told about monkey pox, not only because the WHO and the experts examining the evidence say so, but because anybody that has a professional interest can access the data used for this and corroborate it. At this point there is no scientist or doctor that contradict what the WHO says based on evidence.

Covid19→Monkeypox....So,what's next?Chicken box?

Except that the message of the media is the opposite,

this article clearly disproves your opinion about what the media is publishing.

Absolutely not!

The 2 statements below are already enough to put sensitive people into fear:

*But she said it still remained unclear if that transmission was "mostly through droplets or could be airborne."*

*"There are still *many unknowns,"

"Unclear" and especially "many unknown" things can bring already fear, concern and panic to sensitive people.

Maybe not to me and you, but to many others.

I don't know how anybody can be more clear, from the beginning there is no denial that the WHO is an agency,

You can be more clear by not denying several times that WHO is an agency, not an institution.

You agree the WHO is an agency, and not a scientific institution, right?

The 2 statements below are already enough to put sensitive people into fear:

Why? because people would need to begin using masks and keep their distance? that is already happening.

The full article makes it clear that the experts think this outbreak is not getting out of control, that means that whatever mechanism of transmission there is it is not efficient enough to make the number of cases grow importantly,

"Unclear" and especially "many unknown" things can bring already fear, concern and panic to sensitive people.

That would be a personal problem of that people. Specially when they are being told there is no need to worry about a monkeypox pandemic, that experts are not concerned about this possibility and that there is no reason to panic. This means there are things that are not known at this point, but even considering this the risk of a public healt problem of importance is very low. Because of limited transmission and low pathogenicy.

The message is overwhelmingly and explicitly against people feeling a threat from monkeypox, that is the opposite of what fearmongering mean.

You can be more clear by not denying several times that WHO is an agency, not an institution.

Sorry but things you imagine other people tell are not arguments, my position has always been that the WHO being an agency do not mean it can't be a scientific institution, and more importantly a scientific authority. In fact being an agency is what makes it possible.

You agree the WHO is an agency, and not a scientific institution, right?

The WHO is an agency, a scientific institution AND a scientific authority.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3052798/

The World Health Organization (WHO) is widely regarded as the preeminent international authority on health and scientific matters. Its information mandate is a powerful one, for it enables the WHO to construct issues as legitimate ones for concern that should be addressed in particular ways.

Saying you have something but failing to produce it would prove otherwise.

There is no point in denying the WHO is an agency, or an organization, that does nothing to disqualify it as a scientific authority that guides and promotes public health around the world and is well recognized as such by the experts and professionals.

Baseless accusations against other users are still against the rules even from other users, if you can't discuss the arguments you are conceding they are correct.

This has nothing to do with Covid vaccines or Covid medicines. I'd say stop trying to spread misinformation, but it seems that's your life's vocation.

Nobody is claiming i has anything to do with COVID vaccines or medicines. There is just a lot of suspicion about why monkeypox is getting so much exposure, and why now. It doesn't seem to be a particularly threatening disease and doesn't spread that easily. Something just doesn't smell right about it.

The timing might be related to a smallpox/monkey pox vaccine that received FDA approval at the end of 2019. Perhaps, the Covid "pandemic" put the monkeypox story on hold, but now that Covid appears to be dying down...

The timing might be related to a smallpox/monkey pox vaccine that received FDA approval at the end of 2019. 

The already available smallpox vaccine that is stockpiled around the world would be protective enough without problems, and if this was some kind of conspiracy to sell more of the new vaccine it would not be coherent to have experts and doctors saying there is no real risk for this to spread uncontrollably.

The reality is that zoonosis happen all the time around the world, efforts are made to identify them when this happens and thanks to that opportune measures to control them can be put in order. There is zero evidence that points to human intervention (above of course of the risky behavior). It is the same as the US outbreak of the 2003 with dozens of cases happening because of prairie dogs, no need to force conspiracies to explain what happens naturally all the time.

The timing might be related to a smallpox/monkey pox vaccine that received FDA approval at the end of 2019.

The reality is that zoonosis happen all the time around the world, efforts are made to identify them when this happens and thanks to that opportune measures to control them can be put in order. There is zero evidence that points to human intervention (above of course of the risky behavior). It is the same as the US outbreak of the 2003 with dozens of cases happening because of prairie dogs, no need to force conspiracies to explain what happens naturally all the time.

I was talking about the timing of pushing this narrative; of suddenly having monkey pox all over the MSM. Nothing about zoonosis vs engineering; that is irrelevant. I actually tend to agree with you that this virus was likely not engineered.

I was talking about the timing of pushing this narrative; of suddenly having monkey pox all over the MSM

Well, that is what happens when experts identify an unusual outbreak of an emerging disease, people want to know about it and experts want to inform the people, there is absolutely no need for any forced conspiracy to explain a normal situation. At this point it seems the outbreak is not because the virus developed an increased transmissibility or resistance to normal immunity (or to the immune response from the smallpox vaccine) but those were possibilities at the beginning and it is normal to want to see if that was the case or not, fortunately it was not and as the outbreak gets under control and no new cases appear the interest will also wane, as happened in the US with their outbreak.

Spreads among young men, amplified by gay orgy party, but "not" a gay disease.

It sure looks like we have at least one expert on monkeypox.

I actually tend to agree with you that this virus was likely not engineered.

However, interestingly, both the NIH and WIV had been researching monkeypox...

However, interestingly, both the NIH and WIV had been researching monkeypox...

So are most labs working with double stranded DNA viruses, the virus is one of the least dangerous pox viruses that still can infect humans so it is a quite popular topic of research together with the vaccinia virus, it is as interesting/unusual as finding RNA virology labs working with influenza viruses.

Even in Japan, studies on the local LC16m8 vaccine strain commonly also include monkeypox as a subject.

Warts, blisters, rashes, skin white spots to name a few will all be "monkeypox" related - in the end it wouldn't surprise me if cause of death says: monkeypox.