NYTimes: What Happened to Monkeypox?

Since the height of monkeypox at the beginning of August, cases in the United States have seen an 85% decrease. With infectious diseases being at the forefront of our world’s health landscape, it is important to consider why monkeypox only lasted as long as it did. One possible reason is that the demographic that monkeypox infected was mostly men who have sex with men, isolating it for the most part in a small community. Additionally, vaccine rollout and behavior changes (such as reduced sexual activity with multiple partners) helped to reduce the spread. Despite some confusing communication about how to respond to monkeypox, similar to the framework set by COVID-19, monkeypox was thwarted ultimately by implementing multiple prongs of a public health approach. People took vaccines and followed behavioral guidance intended to stop the spread. What monkeypox shows us is that it is possible to contain an infectious disease if changes are made. To read the full article, click here. To read more about COVID-19, click here.