08/20/2024 – 13:57
Fake news is accompanying the current mpox outbreak. One of the most widespread false claims links “monkeypox” to the coronavirus vaccine. A day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new high alert over the recent mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring African countries – making this the second global health emergency linked to the viral disease in two years – news came of the first infection in Europe.
According to Swedish authorities who confirmed the case, the infection occurred while the affected person was traveling through a region of Africa where the disease is circulating.
After that, a series of content about the mpox virus began to appear on social media – and increasingly more false information.
Mpox and mRNA vaccines: is there a connection?
Claim: “What they present to us as monkeypox is, in most cases, herpes zoster – one of the most common side effects of the ‘vaccine’ against Covid”, states a user of the social network X in a post on August 14, 2024. The information is attributed to the German doctor and politician Wolfgang Wodarg.
DW fact check: False.
The post cites a video interview with Wodarg, a doctor and former federal deputy for the SPD who later moved to the small party dieBasis, formed in the wake of protests against health control measures at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. The video was recorded in 2022 and broadcast by AUF1, an Austrian far-right conspiracy website.
The same quote is replicated in Portuguese and Spanish-speaking X profiles. Most of the posts DW located were in these two languages.
A study by Loyola Andalusia University found that the narrative presenting mpox as a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines was the most shared of all false information about the disease.
Asked whether there is a link between the current monkeypox outbreak and COVID-19 vaccines, microbiologist and immunologist Kari Moore Debbink of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said: “COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been used worldwide, while cases of mpox typically arise in certain countries in Africa, with few cases outside of that region. So there is no geographic link between mRNA coronavirus vaccines and mpox cases.”
Professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, USA, William Schaffner explains that the two viruses are “totally different”. “Of course, the Covid-19 vaccine has nothing to do with mpox.”
Mpox = Herpes zoster?
The fake news that went viral on X also claims that the disease mpox would, in most cases, be herpes zoster (also known as shingles).
According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, shingles viruses can be reactivated by vaccines. This also applies to the different COVID-19 vaccines, where those vaccinated have a higher risk of developing shingles.
However, there is no relationship between the mpox and shingles viruses, says immunologist Kari Moore Debbink: “Mpox and shingles belong to different viral groups, so the two viruses can be easily differentiated in testing. While both can cause similar symptoms, such as rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes and malaise, there are distinct features of the rashes caused by each, allowing differentiation based on signs and symptoms.”
Are the covid-19 and mpox viruses the same?
Mpox is much less contagious than COVID-19. While the Mpox virus is transmitted through close physical contact, skin-to-skin, or through contaminated materials (towels, bedding, and clothing), the coronavirus is extremely contagious and can be transmitted through tiny droplets in the air when breathing, talking, sneezing, or coughing—even by asymptomatic people. And while the coronavirus tends to cause coughing and shortness of breath, as well as loss of taste and smell, the classic symptom of Mpox is a rash.
Misinformation hinders the work of health authorities
Schaffner and Debbik say they are concerned about the massive spread of misinformation surrounding vaccines. “The misinformation that is being spread about all vaccines, but also against Covid-19 and now Mpox, is causing great confusion and distrust towards health authorities. This makes it much harder for health ministries to help people stay healthy,” says Schaffner.
See the infographic below to learn how to protect yourself from health-related misinformation:
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