No, monkeypox is not related to Covid-19 and is not a sexual disease

Currently, monkeypox continues to spread around the world, and it worries more and more people. And as concerns about the subject grow, misinformation and misbeliefs about the disease are also growing in equally disturbing ways.

Two very different diseases not to be confused

There are now more than 400 confirmed cases of monkeypox outside Africa, including 33 cases in France. A first fatal case of the disease in 2022 was even reported in Nigeria. There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has left a trauma on many individuals, and the fears initially fueled by this disease raise fears of the worst in the face of monkeypox. However, it is important to know that monkeypox is a disease very different from Covid-19in many respects.

Unlike the coronavirus, monkeypox is not a new disease, as it was first described in 1970 after a very first infection in a human in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since this first infection in a human, several monkeypox epidemics have occurred around the world, but mainly in Africa. Regarding the symptoms, monkeypox is also different from Covid-19 since it is characterized by the appearance of rashes all over the body, accompanied by fever and swelling of the lymph nodes.

The confusion with Covid-19 can be explained by the fact that the first manifestations of monkeypox are flu-like symptoms. But this does not mean that these are two similar diseases. Moreover, the cure rate for monkeypox is generally high and in the majority of cases, treatment is not even required to cure this disease. Also note that the smallpox vaccine is effective in preventing this disease. On the other hand, it is also important to clarify that monkeypox is not caused, nor favored, by vaccination against Covid-19, as many rumors claim, reported FranceInfo.

It’s not an STD or a “gay disease”

Regarding the mode of transmission of the disease, the Monkeypox virus is transmitted by direct contact with lesions and biological fluids of a sick patient, by indirect contact with infected objects, or by airborne transmission at short distance. While there is therefore some similarity between the transmission of monkeypox and Covid-19, it is important to understand that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Although the virus can indeed be transmitted through skin contact or saliva during sexual intercourse, this does not make it an STD.

This clarification is necessary because a growing number of individuals believe that monkeypox is an STD that particularly affects homosexuals. Such rumors stem in particular from the fact that monkey pox patients have recently reported genital lesions. Furthermore, it has also been found that a relatively large number of cases have been found in homosexual or bisexual men. However, this does not mean that monkeypox is an STD or a disease of homosexuals.

While it is not yet known exactly why so many gay men have been affected by the disease, experts believe that it could be explained by the fact that the disease has spread during events and in places mainly frequented by homosexual communities. Combined with the fact that the number of cases remains relatively low, this explanation is currently the most plausible.