jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Just when you thought it was almost safe to live on planet Earth - Monkey Pox!

WHO stopped short of declaring monkey pox a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." It is spreading quickly and covering large areas of Europe. As you might know, it takes just a few hours for Europeans to get to this country. The disease is really ugly, and it could leave you scarred, but it's not generally fatal. Silver lining to the cloud?

On the other hand, maybe this is just a hoax, like Covid was.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

Susan yamakawa

Covid isn’t a hoax

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

The nonsense, lies and coverup since its "discovery" have been weaponized againts the people. It wasn't and Isn't near as bad as they purport it to be.

pquiggle Loc: Monterey Bay California

Try telling that to the families of the millions who have died. Or to the health care workers who treated them.

Nickaroo

I agree with You as far as it being a Hoax. This current Admin. will probably throw that out there and there will be a slew of Vaccines for it as well.

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

But on the bright side, us old farts that have had smallpox vaccinations are protected against monkey pox. It’s those young sprouts that can get it. The only time in my life where being old has paid off.

Nickaroo

I did not even think about me having the Smallpox Vaccine.

bigguytf

Maybe you should express this opinion to the over 1 million people in the US who died from it.

Ollieboy

Why is everybody worried about Monkey pox. It's sexually transmitted. Not airborne.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Per the CDC:

Monkeypox spreads in different ways. The virus can spread from person-to-person through:

direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex
touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids
pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta

Ollieboy

And you believe the CDC? No longer credible in MY opinion.

awesome14 Loc: UK

The CDC published advisory guidelines to states, for reporting COVID-19 deaths.To be classified as a COVID death, the deceased must fall into one or more of three groups.

Tested positive for COVID < 3 months pre, or post mortem
Was exposed to, or displayed symptoms of COVID < 3 months before death.
Died as a result of pneumonia caused by a COVID infection

This is significantly different than other countries. The count was done that way, because, after the data on COVID is organised into a databse, it will be easy to query it for the information one is seeking, if it is a subset of the information available. So, we can always view in retrospect the number of people who died as a result of pneumonia caused by a COVID infection, if we have at least 'that' data.

But we cannot analyze the indirect effects of a pandemic using information only on those who died as a direct result of COVID symptoms! For that we need a bunch more data, and that's why the CDC wanted to include those involved in fatal auto collisions who also tested positive, suicide victims who tested positive, and a whole host of deaths not caused by pneumonia due to COVID.

All those who die of COVID actually die of a different infection. Once the COVID reaches the lungs, the immune defenses against it compromise the lungs, making way for opportunistic pathogens already present in the body. They're harmless anywhere but in the lungs. The immune system or the lungs themselves must be compromised. So, the COVID virus itself doesn't kill. It just evokes an immune response that can lead to death by attacking the lungs while fighting a secondary infection.

The opportunistic pathogens gain a foothold, and the immune cells secrete, among other things, elastase to break down elastin in the outer membrane of the secondary invaders. The invaders secrete elastase to destroy the elastin in the immune-cells, thereby killing 'them'. The lungs can stretch and contract--making breathing possible--due to high elastin content! The lung elastin is caught in the crossfire, and severe damage can occur, resulting in death, because the lungs lose their elasticity!

So, the goal is to gather data to determine the big picture of how much damage a pandemic causes. Unfortunately, the U.S. death toll as publicized is not valid for comparison to other nations, nor does it reflect what the public understands it to mean!

The average person pictures all COVID deaths caused by pneumonia: the symptoms of a serious COVID infection! All those who die of the infection succomb to pneumonia! But that is true of only 10-20% of COVID deaths the way they are tallied in the USA!

It all began when Trump was president, and the media wanted to make him look as bad as possible. The media is now stuck reporting the COVID death toll in this flawed manner. Can you imagine the response if the death toll suddenly dropped to 200,000? It would be scandlous! But for comparing the US to other countries, the total COVID deaths as reported must be divided by at least 4, and more like 5!

So, it is a hoax and it's not! The death toll according to the way the public interprets it is grossly inflated! But it's still really bad! You just know, when the USA, with a population of 330 million, has twice the number of COVID death as India, with a population over 3x that, and the most popular cure for COVID in India is drinking cow's urine at COVID parties; there is some major malfunction going on!

That's what prompted me to investigate, and the truth bears witness to my testimony! So, the USA has the lowest number of COVID deaths per capita, by far! The government has employed every conceivable means to trick the public regarding the severity of the pandemic, and where the U.S. ranks in its response compared to the rest of the world!

But that doesn't mean we should drop our guard against COVID1 We should just add an additional guard against government pandering to public hysteria! I still wear a mask when I'm out! But I'll have to quit soon, or people will mistake me for a bandit! Women look really sexy in masks; very mysterious! So, it hasn't been all bad!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Just curious, what are your medical/epidemiological credentisls and the sources of your information. My Covid death information is from John Hopkins Medical Center, one of the most respected medical institutions in the country, not the CDC.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Then please post a more credible source and the source of your information.