A significant increase in the number of cases of mpox (the disease caused by the monkeypox virus) in several African countries was recently declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This has been followed by a number of posts on social media containing unsubstantiated claims about the disease. During the previous outbreak of mpox in 2022 we wrote several articles about the disease.
Bad information can spread quickly on social media and may be harmful if people use it to make decisions about their health.
To spot bad and misleading mpox information, ask yourself these three simple questions:
Where’s it from?
What is missing?
How do you feel?
Several posts on Facebook claim that mpox is actually a side effect of the Covid-19 vaccines.
False. Mpox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus. According to the NHS, mpox causes blisters which are sometimes confused with chickenpox, but it can only be caused by a monkeypox infection and has nothing to do with Covid vaccines.
