Ep93: The rise and fall of mpox

The first time most of us heard of monkeypox was in May 2022. The smallpox-like infection appeared to spring from nowhere and make its way through Europe then the Americas, largely within the gay and bisexual community. But the first documented human case of mpox actually occurred in 1970 in Central Africa and it’s been endemic ever since. 

Last year’s mpox outbreak eclipsed prior case numbers in just a few months thanks to a newly evolved strain. The count of confirmed cases totalled over 86,000 all around the world and it’s a testament to well-coordinated community health in the developed world that the outbreak was reigned in within a few months of the index case in Europe. 

But alongside this success story, there’s also a cautionary tale about global health strategy. Because mpox wasn't taken seriously in endemic countries, an incubator was created for this new strain to emerge. We also discuss the stigma associated with sexually transmitted infections and the pros and cons of applying this label. 

Guests
Dr Vincent Cornelisse FRACGP FAChSHM PhD (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney; Kirby Institute, UNSW)
Dr Massimo Giola FRACP FAChSHM PhD (Te Whatu Ora, Tauranga, Rotorua)

Production
Produced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Recording assistance in Tauranga from Melissa Cox, Mockingbird Music Studios. Editorial feedback kindly provided by Dr Aidan Tan and Dr David Arroyo.

Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Cocktail by Major Tweaks, ‘Broke No More’ by Cushy, ‘Temple of Ruhnha’ by ELFL and ‘Razzamatazz’ by Jules Gaia. Music courtesy of Free Music Archive includes ‘Out of the Skies, Under the Earth’ by Chris Zabriskie, Image by Flashpop licenced from Getty Images.

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