Monkey Pox, Manufactured panic?

[Maybole]

I can not find a medical forum to post this in.

I see that the Media a trying to stir up another scare, this time over the unusual cases of Monkey Pox.

I note that the smallpox vaccine is effective against it. Does this mean that because, in common with most of my generation, I received a vaccination as an infant (and a booster in my late tees, which failed to "take" anyway) , that I am immune and can continue my hedonistic lifestyle?

[MJCM]

The Medical forum is here:

 

https://aseannow.com/forum/23-health-and-medicine/

 

It's under:

• Forum Home
• Thailand
• Thailand General Chat
• Health and Medicine

[ozimoron]

OP, would you prefer this wasn't reported at all?  Merely reporting it is not "stirring up panic".

[internationalism]

If covid didnt stop your lifestyle, than noting will. it's part of you. 
if no booster in teens probably you are not protected anymore. Maybe you can get a shot somewhere in the world, if you are in a risk group, and you can carry on. 
But still risk, probably greater, from illness which cant be prevent by vax, and there might not be medication. 

[Sheryl]

What panic? I certainly have 't seen or heard any.

 

Media reports I have seen have stressed that it is not easily transmitted (requires close contact) and effective vaccines and treatments exist. Also stressed that illness is usually mild and self-limiting in healthy populations.

 

If you had smallpox vaccination then you likely  have some  residual protection that would help in the very unlikely event you contacted this virus.

 

There is also a specific vaccine just for monkey pox. But only given to people at high risk.

 

This is not a new disease, it"s been known since the 1950's and there have always been cases in Africa. What is new is clusters of cases outside of Africa. But nowhere near pandemic level.

 

Depending on what your "hedonistic" lifestyle consists of there might indeed be health risks to consider but Monkey Pox is not one of them.

 

 

 

 

[Iamfalang]

Thai lady told me today to be afraid of Monkeypox, three cases in Thailand.

I said, "no"......not true.  She says, "fake news?"   Yes.  

 

Unfortunately, we had to find it on google in Thai....then she was OK.

 

IMO, we are at Defcon 1  and asleep.    COVID we went to Defcon 3.   You know we are at Defcon 5 when we are playing Tic-tac-toe all day.

[Maybole]

51 minutes ago, Iamfalang said:

Thai lady told me today to be afraid of Monkeypox, three cases in Thailand.

I said, "no"......not true.  She says, "fake news?"   Yes.  

 

Unfortunately, we had to find it on google in Thai....then she was OK.

 

IMO, we are at Defcon 1  and asleep.    COVID we went to Defcon 3.   You know we are at Defcon 5 when we are playing Tic-tac-toe all day.

That is exactly what I am getting at. Prominent headlines aimed at the gullible.

[Jerno]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

OP, would you prefer this wasn't reported at all?  Merely reporting it is not "stirring up panic".

Media news is now 24/7 and needs to fill up their time on airwaves or streaming bandwidth daily.  For 2 years we've been bombarded with Covid this that and everything, relentlessly daily. News outlets now scratching around for new stories and Monkey-picks fits the bill with more over-reporting and unnecessary hype happening. 

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, Jerno said:

Media news is now 24/7 and needs to fill up their time on airwaves or streaming bandwidth daily.  For 2 years we've been bombarded with Covid this that and everything, relentlessly daily. News outlets now scratching around for new stories and Monkey-picks fits the bill with more over-reporting and unnecessary hype happening. 

The articles i read play down the panic, not hype it up.

[coolcarer]

1 hour ago, Maybole said:

That is exactly what I am getting at. Prominent headlines aimed at the gullible.

I can only see you trying to induce panic by some weird conspiracy theory that you are gullible enough to believe in

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Maybole said:

That is exactly what I am getting at. Prominent headlines aimed at the gullible.

Might not have been "real" news headlines. Lots of this stuff comes from social media. Lots of Thais get their "news" from shared facebook posts etc.

[ChrisKC]

18 hours ago, ozimoron said:

OP, would you prefer this wasn't reported at all?  Merely reporting it is not "stirring up panic".

I was about to say something similar. Both the media and various YouTube videos are all saying there is no cause for alarm. 

 

It is in nobody's interest to "stir up panic" - we have all had a belly full of it from Covid!

[Sheryl]

A rumor-mongering post has been removed.

[lopburi3]

Although I agree danger is minimal this was reported 6 days ago and appears official - sure does not read as playing danger down in my reading:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Thailand-asks-inbound-travelers-to-report-monkeypox-symptoms

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

I passed through Suvanabhumi just 3 days ago returning from Cambodia and did nto receive anything of the sort.

 

Possibly it is being given only to arrivals from Africa, I did see a separate area off to one side for people arriving from an African country.

 

From the language they are nto warning people about risk of getting Monkey Pox in Thailand but rather trying to detect any imported cases

[itsari]

On 5/29/2022 at 6:32 PM, internationalism said:

If covid didnt stop your lifestyle, than noting will. it's part of you. 
if no booster in teens probably you are not protected anymore. Maybe you can get a shot somewhere in the world, if you are in a risk group, and you can carry on. 
But still risk, probably greater, from illness which cant be prevent by vax, and there might not be medication. 

My understanding is that the older generation are not at high risk of the monkey virus . It is the younger generation that are most at risk due to the smallpox virus has been considered eradicated and there for no need for smallpox vaccinations .

 

[itsari]

On 5/29/2022 at 8:47 PM, Jerno said:

Media news is now 24/7 and needs to fill up their time on airwaves or streaming bandwidth daily.  For 2 years we've been bombarded with Covid this that and everything, relentlessly daily. News outlets now scratching around for new stories and Monkey-picks fits the bill with more over-reporting and unnecessary hype happening. 

While we have been scratching around millions of people have lost there life due to covid .

Now the media  tells us there is a virus out there that is on the increase . That is sensible to inform us . Go and scratch your self to realize that is called good reporting .

[lopburi3]

36 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I passed through Suvanabhumi just 3 days ago returning from Cambodia and did nto receive anything of the sort.

 

Possibly it is being given only to arrivals from Africa, I did see a separate area off to one side for people arriving from an African country.

 

From the language they are nto warning people about risk of getting Monkey Pox in Thailand but rather trying to detect any imported cases

Yes but it reads like a drug reaction list - just about everyone would have at least one of the symptoms on a good day.  But as you did not get can hope it was just another shot from the hip that has been rescinded.

[ozimoron]

4 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Although I agree danger is minimal this was reported 6 days ago and appears official - sure does not read as playing danger down in my reading:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Thailand-asks-inbound-travelers-to-report-monkeypox-symptoms

 

 

 

That's a standard health warning and it does not make any effort to play up the issue. Not to make such an announcement would be to abrogate the duty of care they are paid to do. Show me a country without a similar health warning.

 

Here's the Australian travel warning.  Can we just cut the Thai bashing already?

 

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/news-and-updates/monkeypox-outbreak

[lopburi3]

46 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Can we just cut the Thai bashing already?

Was not aware that was the intent - it sure was not mine.  

[NanLaew]

On 5/29/2022 at 9:26 PM, Sheryl said:

Might not have been "real" news headlines. Lots of this stuff comes from social media. Lots of Thais get their "news" from shared facebook posts etc.

I doubt the local health authorities did themselves any favors when they publicly claimed Thailand's first confirmed Monkeypox case a few days back... in a asymptomatic BKK transit passenger who only tested positive for infection after his arrival in Australia. Quarantining the aircrew away for 21-days seemed all very knee-jerk and fodder for the social media misinformation streams.