We all have questions about #monkeypox, right? I got to talk to yesterday with Andrea McCollum, who leads @CDCgov's poxvirus epidemiology team. She had answers. https://t.co/abIU2o0IEa
— Helen Branswell 🇺🇦 (@HelenBranswell) May 19, 2022
TL, DR: This is not, unlike covid, a new / unknown disease. It’s a close relative of smallpox, which means stockpiled smallpox vaccines provide pretty good immunity, as does previous smallpox inoculation. (Although those of us whose inoculation scars have faded probably shouldn’t rely entirely on our aging immune systems.)  Monkeypox is mostly spread, according to current science, by direct contact with infected material: animal bites / scratches, touching an infected person’s lesions, contact with bedding or clothing that’s been soiled, and ‘prolonged’ respiratory exposure. If you’re worried, keep masking up in public places — especially airplanes! — and remember to wash or sanitize your hands frequently. Which, of course, we’re all pretty much doing anyway…
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