Published 7 hours ago,
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in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
May 21, 2022
While a first suspected case of monkey pox has been detected in France, some Internet users accuse the anti-covid vaccine of being the cause of this disease. An aberration according to Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
Since early May, dozens of cases of monkeypox – a rare disease originating in Africa – have been detected in Europe and North America. However, on social networks, Internet users are worried about apparent “similarities” between the AstraZeneca vaccine, composed of chimpanzee adenovirus, and monkey pox.
“Chimpanzee pox has nothing to do with the coronavirus”
While a first suspected case of smallpox was identified this Thursday in Île-de-France, information agitates social networks. Internet users are protesting against the AstraZenec vaccine presenting, according to them, compounds similar to monkeypox – or modified chimpanzee adenoviruses. Some users even pretend to be surprised: “A consequence ?“.
A doubt to be dispelled urgently, according to Dr. Kierzek.
“It’s fake news. Chimpanzee pox has nothing to do with the coronavirus. Developing a vaccine with adenoviruses is more than classic”.
As a reminder, the adenovirus vaccine consists of using a harmless virus as a vector. This serves as a means of transport for a fragment of the DNA of the coronavirus.
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Monkey pox: what effects?
Also called “monkeypox”, monkey pox is a disease that is naturally transmitted from animals to humans through contact with an affected person or their body fluids (saliva, mucous membranes during sexual relations, etc.).
“Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, can spread monkeypox.”remind the American Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
However, monkeypox seems less serious than smallpox, even if the symptoms are similar: high fever and many pimples on the body, like chickenpox. Most of the time, the patient heals on his own. Nevertheless, according to the WHO, the two strains of the virus can prove fatal in 1% to 10% of cases.
Faced with the risk of an epidemic, the health authorities want to be confident: the disease remains not very contagious between humans. But some countries have adopted measures to prevent the spread of the virus. It’s about :
- From Portugal and Spain, which have triggered a national health alert;
- From Italy which placed the situation “under constant surveillance” and immediately placed the infected patient(s) in solitary confinement;
- Se Sweden who “now investigating with regional infection control centers to find out if there are more cases”.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announced meanwhile “follow the situation closely“. He recommends “isolate and test suspected cases and report them promptly“.