The monkeypox outbreak and an era of emerging viruses

Monkeypox is not a new virus. It’s been a problem in west and central Africa for decades. And yet, until it started spreading within our countries and cities, few in the western world seemed to pay much attention.

Now, we’re seeing monkeypox transmission in places across the world, including Canada, where it had never previously been able to gain a major foothold. So far, the virus seems to be spreading predominantly among men who have sex with men, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot, and will not, spread to other populations. And while we haven’t seen any fatalities during this current outbreak, that could change if the virus manages to infect more vulnerable communities, like children or the immunocompromised.

Dr. Jason Kindrachuk is an assistant professor in medical microbiology and infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba, and Canada Research Chair in emerging viruses. He joined us on The Big Story to demystify monkeypox and talk about the tools we have in our arsenal to fight the virus. He also discussed the fine line we need to walk between warning those who may be most at risk, and contributing to harmful stigmatization.

“[I] grew up during the 80s, obviously very much remember what happened with HIV, and how stigmatized that disease was and continues to be,” he said. “We don’t want that same position where now monkeypox is viewed as being only an MSM disease, it’s not.”

So what does it mean that the WHO has declared monkeypox a ‘public health emergency of international concern’? How has this virus been able to spread so readily in countries that had never really seen it before? And what should we be doing now to prevent it from getting completely out of hand?

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