The Daily How Monkeypox Went From Containable to Crisis
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Aug 1, 2022 Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter for The New York Times, dives into the alarming spread of monkeypox in the U.S. Initially deemed manageable, the virus quickly escalated into a public health crisis. Apoorva discusses challenges in testing and vaccination, particularly affecting the LGBTQ+ community. She shares personal accounts of individuals facing difficulties in securing treatment. The conversation sheds light on systemic weaknesses in the public health infrastructure and the urgent need for improved responses to outbreaks.
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Testing Bottleneck
- Monkeypox testing was initially restricted to public health labs, requiring doctors to navigate bureaucratic hurdles.
- This cumbersome process resulted in significant delays, hindering timely diagnosis and treatment.
Atypical Symptoms and Misdiagnosis
- Some patients experienced unusual monkeypox symptoms, like localized lesions without fever, leading to misdiagnosis.
- Doctors sometimes dismissed their pain, attributing it to other conditions like hemorrhoids or syphilis.
Vaccine Delays
- Although the U.S. possessed a smallpox vaccine effective against monkeypox, many doses had expired.
- Additional doses awaited FDA approval, causing further delays despite European approval a year prior.