Since it's been around for a while, and seems pretty obvious when you have it, it seems strange that we could have community spread without any warning.
It doesn't seem like we really know much... But it seems likely that (as someone else put it) either there was a change to monkeypox or a change in us.
Or both, I suppose.
Anyways, if the virus itself didn't change, I've heard two plausible explanations for why it's spreading now.
One is that most people no longer get the smallpox immunization. (I am... Actually kind of happy I got it when I was in the military, I guess. Though it's been almost 20yrs so I'm not sure how much of a help it'd be).
The second is that this might be a side effect of covid. This thread has a technical explanation above my level of knowledge...
But if I understand it correctly it seems covid attacks the cells that make up our immune system (especially t-cells), thus making us more vulnerable to secondary infections.
It still seems too early for any definitive answer. I hope it's not as bad as it sounds.
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