BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim:
Mpox is a side effect of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Verdict:
False. Mpox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus and is not related to Covid-19 vaccines.
Full Text:
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mpox is described as a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms and is usually mild but can kill. The clade 1b variety of mpox has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.
A significant increase in the number of cases prompted the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern based on the recommendation of an IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts
Several social media posts claim that mpox, the disease caused by the monkeypox virus, is actually a side effect of Covid-19 vaccines. Information linking mpox to COVID-19 vaccines has spread widely on social media, including claims that shingles, a rare side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, is also being attributed to mpox.
In one such post, a sequence of screenshots and links about mpox and Covid vaccination was shared claiming that people were “lying to cover up the damage they’ve caused”.
In another post, two screenshots showed a blistered hand, one of which was attributed to shingles and the other to chicken pox. “Incidentally, shingles is one of the side effects associated with Covax”, the post claims. Vaccines for COVID-19 were developed and shared through Covax, an international project. However, findings showed that shingles are caused by a different virus, varicella-zoster, and are not related to the monkeypox virus.
Other posts have recently shared an old article from the Exposé website, which has been fact-checked many times by Full Fact. Based on the findings of the factchecks, the Expose article, which was published in 2022, falsely claims in its headline: “Monkeypox is a coverup for damage done to Immune System by COVID Vaccination resulting in Shingles, Autoimmune Blistering Disease & Herpes Infection”.
Given how falsehoods gain traction easily on social media, FactCheckAfrica is verifying this claim, as it may be harmful if people use it to make health decisions.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica found that the National Health Service, NHS has clarified that mpox, which causes blisters and is sometimes mistaken for chickenpox, is solely caused by a monkeypox infection. It cannot be contracted through Covid-19 vaccines, as there is no monkeypox virus present in vaccines.
In simple terms, mpox is a disease caused by an infection with the monkeypox virus, a variety of orthopoxvirus. Other related viruses include cowpox and smallpox. People catch mpox through contact with an infected person or animal. It is thought to be more common among small rodents than among monkeys.
Full Fact wrote several articles about the disease during an earlier international outbreak, in 2022.
Conclusion:
These claims are misleading and false. Mpox is a distinct disease caused by the monkeypox virus and has no connection to Covid-19 vaccines. Misleading claims on social media may cause unnecessary fear and confusion, and it’s crucial to rely on verified information for health-related decisions.
