The mpox outbreak never ended in Africa. Now a deadlier strain is spreading.
(www.vox.com)
from jeffw@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 14 Aug 2024 03:23
https://lemmy.world/post/18623044
from jeffw@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 14 Aug 2024 03:23
https://lemmy.world/post/18623044
#world
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Monkeypox. I had to look it up, apparently they changed the name of the disease (presumably because of racists) but the virus itself is still called monkeypox.
Not really, the name is now Mpox but for historical purposes the previous name is still referenced.
Tbf it’s wikipedia, but the first line of the 2nd paragraph says:
Edit: wait lol all your links say that, and one of your links is the same wiki page. But yeah, that’s exactly what I said: the disease is now called mpox, but the virus is still referred to as the monkeypox virus.
You're not wrong, but tbf like I said, it is referred to as that for historical purposes. We are moving away from the older name but it takes time. For example, AIDS was called GRID at one point. Not now. Nobody does that.
mpox and bird flu are both out there evolving, and I remain a bit worried.
You want to really get worried?
Everything we produce in agriculture is constantly fighting off plagues. From insects, bacterial, fungal and virus infections. It is constantly under attack.
In crops on average farmers have to change to new varieties every 10 years. In some species it’s every 3-4.
Global warming is also making it much harder for agriculture. Higher temps = diseases come earlier in the season and last longer. Pest populations are not reduced as much over the winter.
We have also reached the limits of traditional breeding in many species for disease/pest resistances.
There is ways we can prevent the pending collapse but not without some massive investments, a complete overhaul of the laws, and fundamental changes in how we do agriculture.
Yes, I remain a bit worried. Today the WHO declared mpox a global health emergency
That’s what happens when you let a population host a plague indefinitely; this is why full eradication is good for everyone, not just the countries currently dealing with disease.
Yeah but my short term gains!