On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency due to monkeypox in the face of a new strain and the increase in cases in Africa. Following this formal declaration, messages have circulated on social media content that misinforms about this infectious disease: From the hoax that claims it is a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine to publications that warn of false confinements. At VerificaRTVE we clarify with the help of experts misleading messages about the new variant of monkeypox.
1 | Monkeypox cases have not skyrocketed in Spain
Messages are circulating on social media claiming that cases of monkeypox from Africa have skyrocketed in Spain. A publication Shared over 2,000 times since August 14 On the social network X states: “Urgent. Cases of monkeypox are skyrocketing throughout ALL of Spain, many of them imported from the African continent.” It’s false.
Message from X spreading the false idea that cases of monkeypox have “skyrocketed” in Spain
Spain has not recorded a spike in monkeypox cases from AfricaThe epidemiologist and member of the WHO Permanent Committee for Europe, Amós García Rojas, is blunt: “It is not true that cases of monkeypox have skyrocketed in Spain.” He adds that “As of today, no case of the new variant has yet been detected.” in Spain. For his part, the epidemiologist and former director of Health Action in Crisis Situations at the WHO, Daniel López Acuña, explains to VerificaRTVE that since 2022 “there have been isolated cases, but due to the old variant, not the new variant.” This expert also details that “in the current year there have been around 250 cases of monkeypox,” but stresses: “We are not talking about an epidemic outbreak, not about it exploding and not about it being the new variant.”
The Ministry of Health also assures us that, at the date of publication of this article, “the cases in Spain have nothing to do with those in Africa, in fact, The African strain has not been detected here at any time“. According to them, “this does not rule out its presence in our country, it only indicates that there is no notification in this regard.” Amós García Rojas predicts that “we are going to have cases of this disease in our country,” that “we may even have outbreaks,” but adds that “It is difficult for it to spread with great intensity, especially since we have vaccines“.
At RTVE.es we have told you that, until August 16, the only cases of the new strain of monkeypox that have been detected outside of Africa have been in Sweden and Pakistan. last update of the Ministry of Health corresponding to August 8, 2024, specifies that Since 2022, Spain has recorded a total of 8,104 cases monkeypox and have been reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) 264 in 2024. In this link You can consult all reports on the results of monkeypox surveillance published since 2022.
2 | WHO has not ordered lockdowns over monkeypox
A publication shared more than 1,200 times on X From August 15 it says: “WHO orders governments to prepare for ‘mega lockdowns’ due to deadly ‘monkeypox’ strain.” And adds: “…will they succeed in locking us down again???” It’s false.
Message from X spreading the false idea that the WHO has ordered governments to prepare for monkeypox lockdowns
The World Health Organization has not forced governments to prepare for “mega lockdowns” over monkeypox. “The WHO can never make such a recommendation because it would not follow any scientific logic,” says Amós García. According to the member of the WHO Permanent Committee, this is because monkeypox is a disease that is transmitted “by direct contact, person to person, not through the air.” Epidemiologist Daniel López Acuña agrees with this argument: “It’s a total liethe last thing the WHO would do is recommend this because It is not based on any epidemiological evidence“. The Ministry of Health also clarifies that ““No one has talked about population confinement in relation to this international emergency.” According to this organization, the transmission mechanisms known so far for this virus and its impact in our country mean that “The measures to be taken should be very similar to those taken in the last two years.“.
As of today, the Ministry of Health’s protocol for monkeypox is based on the Isolation, the use of masks and the tracing of infected people or in research The Ministry explains that “if it is necessary to incorporate new measures, this will be addressed in the meetings of the Alert Committee and the Public Health Commission.” The first of these is scheduled for Monday, August 19, and at this meeting, the adjustment of the measures currently in force will be assessed.
For Amós García Rojas, “it is totally logical that when an international emergency situation is declared, coordination and control mechanisms must be established by the health authorities.” For this expert, the measures “must be aimed at strengthening the epidemiological surveillance protocol” to allow “early detection of cases and educating the population about what the transmission mechanisms are and how we can avoid infection.” Daniel López Acuña agrees with this reflection, who specifies that in Spain and Europe “what can be done is to increase the risk groups for vaccination to some extent.” However, for this expert, “The best prevention is to control the epidemic in Africa”“.
3 | Monkeypox is not related to or an effect of the anti-covid vaccine
And message shared more than 11,000 times on X From August 14, it says: “What they sell us as monkeypox is in most cases the so-called shingles; one of the most frequent side effects of the covid vaccine.” The text claims that monkeypox “is a story presented to hide the side effects of mRNA vaccines.” The publication includes a 1 minute and 3 second long video showing a man who is presented as if he were justifying this claim. It’s false.
X messages spreading the false idea that monkeypox is related to the anti-covid vaccine
Monkeypox is not related to or an effect of the COVID-19 vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the transmission routes of monkeypox and None of these have anything to do with vaccines or the effects of coronavirus vaccines. This was clarified in 2022 to VerificaRTVE by the spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, María del Mar Tomás: “The transmission routes of this infectious disease have no link to SARS-Cov-2 vaccines.” Epidemiologist Amós García emphasizes the differences between the coronavirus and monkeypox: “The first [COVID-19] It is a disease transmitted by air, this [la viruela del mono] It is transmitted basically through direct contact with an affected person, skin to skin, not necessarily and exclusively through sexual contact.” Rojas explains that the latter reduces “the possibility of expansion in the number of cases, especially in a developed country, but not in developing countries.” The president of the National Association of Nursing and Vaccines, José Antonio Forcada, also told VerificaRTVE that the monkeypox virus was first detected in the 1970s, so “it is not a new infection nor is it related to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
It is also not true that monkeypox is shingles. This is a falsehood that we already refuted in VerificaRTVE in May 2022. The blisters caused by shingles are not related to the vesicles (skin lesions) of monkeypox. Monkeypox is caused by a virus that belongs to the genus of orthopoxviruswhile shingles is a viral infection caused by the virus varicella-zoster. Therefore, These are two diseases caused by different viruses.
4 | Monkeypox does not only affect homosexuals
Social media posts claim that only gay people get monkeypox. One post shared on X on August 14 reads: “It’s a disease that only affects gay people. Nothing to worry about if you’re straight, no matter how much doctors lie.” It’s false.
Message from X that spreads the false idea that monkeypox is a disease that only affects homosexual people
Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, nor does it exclusively affect homosexual people. Epidemiologist Daniel López assures that “it is true that the large volume of infections in 2022 occurred through sexual contact,” but insists that “any close contact can transmit the disease“. In this regard, he adds that “a person who is infected, any contact with a child, woman, man or elderly person” can lead to the transmission of the virus. He also stresses that Contagion can occur through “contact with sheets and towels”“. At RTVE.es we also clarify that “it is not a sexually transmitted disease, nor does it affect only a certain group.”
At VerificaRTVE we already debunked this hoax that has been circulating since 2022when the health emergency was declared due to monkeypox. The virologist from the National Center for Biotechnology of the CIS Mario Esteban explained to us that this virus is transmitted “through contact with bodily fluids” and that it can be transmitted through “any sexual relationship without it having to be homosexual.” Eva Martínez, vice president of the Spanish Society of Immunology, expressed herself along the same lines: “It has not been proven that this disease has anything to do with any group or sexual orientation.“. The spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, María del Mar Tomás, also assured that monkeypox “cannot be considered a sexually transmitted disease (STD).”
