No, we’re not facing another pandemic

SO far, there are no reports of mpox in Malaysia.

But as news arrives of Indonesia ordering vaccines and Thailand reporting the first case in Asia, Malaysians have begun to worry.

And, as usual, we take to social media to vent, with all sorts of ridiculous stories making the rounds – that there are cases in Penang being hidden, that we aren’t prepared to handle an epidemic, that mpox is even more dangerous than Covid-19, etc, etc.

None of them is true.

Yes, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated mpox “a public health emergency of international concern”, mainly because of its rapid spread in some African countries.

And the Malaysian government, like governments the world over, has taken note and ramped up public health measures to guard our borders and prepare for outbreaks. Thermal scanners have been activated at all our international entry points.

If a person’s temperature is higher than normal, an alert and alarm will be generated and the traveller will be taken aside for further examination and quarantine.

All travellers arriving from countries that have reported mpox cases must monitor their health for 21 days after they land here.

The government also requires all healthcare personnel, at both public and private facilities, to inform their nearest district health office of suspected and confirmed cases to ensure prevention and control measures can be implemented.

All 34 of the suspected mpox cases so far have been confirmed as negative; since Aug 16, the Health Ministry has screened about 3.2 million people.

And mpox is nowhere near as deadly as Covid-19, especially the early stages of that pandemic when people were dying in the hundreds in some countries.

The WHO says 3.6% of known mpox cases resulted in death in 2024.

However, as a BBC report last month points out, those “death rates are about more than just the virus. Malnourishment, untreated HIV damaging the immune system, or no access to hospital care would all drive up the death rate”.

In other words, chances of dying from mpox are really low.

And safeguarding ourselves from being infected is much easier than from Covid-19 as mpox is not airborne.

Here’s a reminder local doctors have been emphasising since last month: Typically, mpox spreads between humans through close contact with infected individuals or through direct contact with rashes or lesions on the skin of an infected person, or through exposure to respiratory fluids during intimate contact.

The WHO says common symptoms are “a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last two to four weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes”.

Obviously, if you notice any of these symptoms in yourself or a family member, go to a doctor.

The WHO has also not issued any advisories or recommendations for travel restrictions, and has emphatically stated that mpox is not the next pandemic.

Obviously, this worry we’re seeing being expressed on social media is a result of experiencing one of the world’s deadliest pandemics in Covid-19.

But we learned from that crisis so we can get into epidemic mode very quickly now if it’s needed.

However, it’s not needed now.

So remember other lessons we learned from that dark time: Don’t be so quick to share information. Only share information from legitimate sources (and that does not include your neighbourhood or parents’ chat groups).

Stay calm, be alert to symptoms, and be careful when you travel. We’ve got this.