Once upon a time… along came The Monkeypox virus! Symptoms may include a desire to swing from tree to tree, to pick breakfast bugs off your mate, and to screech, yell, and generally monkey around. But seriously…
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the age-old monkeypox virus — a mild, self-limiting illness that has existed in Africa for decades — was suddenly transformed into a global health emergency requiring unprecedented public health measures.
The virus, which primarily affects a specific demographic and has an extremely low fatality rate, received media coverage wildly disproportionate to its actual threat level. Within weeks, vaccine procurement deals worth billions were signed, and the WHO declared a public health emergency.
The playbook was identical to COVID: identify a pathogen, amplify fear through coordinated media coverage, declare an emergency, and introduce measures that expand surveillance and control.
Independent medical professionals who questioned the proportionality of the response were censored on social media platforms. Meanwhile, the same pharmaceutical companies that profited from COVID vaccines positioned themselves to supply monkeypox vaccines — many of which were already stockpiled in government warehouses.
