Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
An outbreak of mpox (also known as monkeypox) has happened in many African countries. There has been a lot of false information about mpox on the internet.
In a video on X and Facebook, Wolfgang Wodarg, a German doctor, said that mpox and shingles shared the same symptoms. However, this is false.
Mpox is a disease caused by a virus. It can make you feel like you have the flu and can cause painful sores.
Most people get better on their own. Children, pregnant women, and people who are sick with other diseases like HIV are more likely to have serious problems from mpox.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that makes people sick with chickenpox. People with shingles usually have smaller, painful sores and a rash.
A popular theory from a 2022 video by French researcher Didier Raoult has reappeared on social media.
Raoult said that there is a drug called “Tranilast” that treats mpox, but people cannot get it. This is false, too. Tranilast is a medicine for asthma and has never been tested to treat mpox.
This is not the first time there has been an mpox outbreak.
In 2022, there were fears of an mpox pandemic. But countries controlled the spread of mpox by giving vaccines.
They also taught people how to stay safe and kept those who were sick with the virus away from others.
