2022 U.S. Map & Case Count | Monkeypox | Poxvirus | CDC
www.cdc.gov
Monkeypox is a viral disease that occurs mostly in central and western Africa. It is called monkeypox because it was first identified in laboratory monkeys. However, it is much more common among animals such as rats, mice, rabbits, and the African Squirrel

after that weird data lapse on monday I no longer trust the accuracy of these numbers (not that I trusted them much before)

The second pandemic is on folks. In my supremely doomer and pessimistic estimate, it will be an official pandemic by the fourth of July, and catastrophic by 3 months from now

I can't wait for a year from now when I have long covid, went blind due to complications with monkeypox, and am paralysed by polio, and then get fired from my job and sent to debtors prison for my inability to work :so-true:

  • JoeByeThen [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I'm not a doctor, so grain of salt and all that, but I think it's gonna take some time to go catastrophic... But it's also not going to be alone for long either. It doesn't look like Monkeypox has gotten stronger, but that we've gotten collectively weaker. Every wave of covid that passes through the population weakens our collective immune system by lessening our herd immunity to every other virus out there. Millions of people who are now vulnerable to viruses, that they wouldn't have been before Covid, will lead to an increase in R values of those viruses without them needing to be stronger. From there, much like covid, the viruses will spread at much greater levels leading to an increase in opportunities to mutate. And that's when shit's gonna get catastrophic.

    • AOCapitulator [they/them, she/her]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Catastrophic was probably the wrong word, but I meant its impact is felt far and wide as severe measures are taken, or in the US's case nothing is done and lots of people start dying, like the huge initial spike in case mortality from covid in late feb-early march 2020, except this time we won't even pretend to do lockdowns so it will be worse

      Every wave of covid that passes through the population weakens our collective immune system by lessening our herd immunity to every other virus out there.

      I am also not a doctor, but that doesn't sound right, is that a thing?

      • JoeByeThen [he/him, they/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I am also not a doctor, but that doesn’t sound right, is that a thing?

        Yes, that is the one thing I am sure of. Viral marketing (one of my things) uses the same methods of measuring spread. Herd immunity is dependent on there not being enough infectable individuals for infected individuals to come in contact with. If you go to a party with a weak virus and everyone around you is strong enough not be an infection vector then you're not a threat to the overall health of the vulnerable people that may come in contact with people who were at that party. But as the number of vulnerable people at the party increase, the odds of them coming in contact with those same vulnerable people outside the party also increase. That's how herd immunity ultimately works; It's a community defense by playing the numbers. Covid supposedly damages immune systems making people more vulnerable to virii they wouldn't otherwise have spread or be vulnerable towards.