A Facebook account on social media published a post about the increase in “monkeypox” cases in Africa, claiming that pandemic fairy tales have come into play in Africa regarding “monkeypox”. “Africans are being prepared to be put under a state of emergency… and we will be made to believe the myths allegedly caused by artificial climate change and oxygen deficiency, supposedly for the sake of us and our world… be alert nation”, – the description of the post reads.
In reality, “monkeypox” is not a new virus. It is endemic in West and Central Africa, and scientists have been studying its nature for a long time. Claiming that the virus does not exist is false.
As for climate change, scientists agree that climate change is occurring and is real. It may also be due to natural processes, however, since the 1800s, the main cause of climate change has been human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and gas).
In a Reuters article, the photo print of which is distributed by the Facebook account, we read that the African Public Health Agency is going to declare a state of emergency because the viral infection’s rate of spread is alarming. The scale of the outbreak is significant, even surpassing the borders of the Republic of Congo.
According to the Director-General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of the virus in Africa have increased by 79% compared to 2022-2023. A World Health Organization official in Congo told Reuters that 503 people have died from the virus in the country this year. It should be noted that the Director-General of the World Health Organization announced a meeting of the committee, where, along with independent experts, they will decide whether the spread of “monkeypox” represents an “emergency of international concern”.
Interestingly, “monkeypox” is a zoonotic viral disease that occurs in Central and West Africa. “Monkeypox” belongs to the poxvirus family, which is clinically similar to “humanpox” but less severe. The infection spreads between people through respiratory droplets, direct contact with infected biological fluids or by touching contaminated objects. There has also been a recorded case of transmission through the consumption of raw meat products.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the first country where “monkeypox” was observed in humans. Today, there are two main strains of the virus – the West African and Central African strains.
Source: CDC
The last major outbreak of “monkeypox” occurred in Nigeria in 2017. Cases of “monkeypox” arestill recorded in African countries, and the virus may be exported from African countries to non-endemic areas. For example, in May 2022, many cases of “monkeypox” were detected in non-endemic countries, primarily in Europe, which drew the attention of global health. According to the World Health Organization, timely and quick action can potentially contain the spread of the virus in non-endemic countries. Currently, as mentioned, the range of the virus and its frequency of detection have increased, which can be considered as an important factor contributing to deforestation and a number of damages to the environment, therefore, “monkeypox” is assessed as a threat to public health.
For information, the first case of “monkeypox” in Georgia was recorded in 2022. It should be noted that in the comments of the post published by the Facebook account, we read that the “monkeypox” infection is a “homosexual virus”. Interestingly, this disinformation appeared as early as 2022, when the majority of cases in Europe were recorded among homosexual men. In this regard, the head of the European Regional Bureau of the WHO, Hans Kluge, said that “the virus is not “attached to any specific group”.
In fact, the virus spreads from person to person through close contact with an infected individual, including through sexual contact. The orientation or nature of the sexual contact does not affect how the virus is transmitted.
Regarding climate change, despite many studies confirming the reality of climate change and its harmful effects, the issue remains a target of disinformation. Claims that climate change is “hoax” and “absurd” continue to circulate on social networks.
Climate change is real and it affects many processes on Earth. For instance, since 1880, the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 1 °C. Scientists predict that the global temperature change will reach about 1.5 °C by 2050 and the rate of increase will be 2-4 °C by 2100. As temperatures rise, vast masses of ice, especially at the Earth’s poles, melt, leading to rising sea levels. Currently, sea levels are rising by 3.2 millimeters per year, with an accelerating trend that may continue in the coming decades.
Scientists have observed noticeable climate change for decades. This refers to long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns, which can be natural due to changes in solar activity or large volcanic eruptions. However, since the 1800s, human activity has become the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), “natural causes are still in play today, but their influence is too small or they occur too slowly to explain the rapid warming seen in recent decades.”
The theory of global climate change posits that burning fossil fuels creates a blanket that traps the sun’s heat on Earth, increasing global temperatures. Global warming, in turn, causes droughts, water shortages, wildfires, rising sea levels, floods, melting polar ice, severe storms, and loss of biodiversity.
