On Wednesday 14 August, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that Mpox is now a global emergency. Of course the far right are going wild – because they don’t care about dead Black, LGBTQ+, or disabled people – and it must be a conspiracy.
What is Mpox?
Unlike Covid-19, Mpox is not airborne and in order for it to be transmitted, it requires close skin-to-skin to spread. It was previously known as monkeypox, and symptoms include a fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, and a rash.
A global emergency ultimately means that the virus might spill across international borders – which is already has done. The virus has already spread to Sweden.
WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year. This figure already exceeds last year’s. 96% of these cases have been in Congo, but scientists are now afraid that a new variant could be spread more easily. As of last week, the Africa CDC confirmed that it had now spread to at least 13 African countries.
Far-right conspiracies
Obviously, the far-right will take whatever they can grab at and spin it into a conspiracy theory.
From Katie Hopkins to Tommy Robinson – the usual suspects were all at it on X:
IMPORTANT #Mpox update from THE SCIENCE #plandemic #monkeybumming #WHO pic.twitter.com/JqplF2sMK8
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) August 16, 2024
They’re rolling out monkeypox again under a new name.
They must’ve seen keir starmer playing his commie tactics and thought “we want a piece of that”? https://t.co/VP2NjGIgHI
— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) August 14, 2024
BREAKING: The World Health Organization WHO declares monkey pox a global health emergency 82 days before the 2024 US Election!
SCAM!
DO NOT COMPLY!
WE WILL NOT COMPLY NO NO NO 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/zh5UGW5GrE— Ape𝕏 (@CubanOnlyTrump) August 14, 2024
Some far-right conspiracy nuts even claimed Mpox was a known side effect of the Covid-19 vaccine:
It’s and adverse event of the Pfizer BNT162b2 Covid vaccine.👇👇👇
Please spread this information. pic.twitter.com/0wrltjq3ci— Carine Knapen (@CarineKnapen) August 16, 2024
Skin eruptions are the human body’s attempt to clear poisons – from the air, water, food, injections, etc. etc. Mpox is a hoax like all the other “viruses” being hyped to convince you to take yet more toxins into your body. https://t.co/S4euHudpWx
— bustani (@bustani5529) August 15, 2024
Others have claimed Mpox is a punishment from God because as we all know, homosexuality is a huge sin and all of us gays are going to hell:
⚠️Disturbing Visuals
WHO has declared Monkey Pox a global health emergency
They will never tell you something very important
MPox was originally known as the “disease of gay”. Homosexuality is a sin in almost every religion.
In May 2022 about 200 verified and suspected cases… pic.twitter.com/xjsrOjhkCW
— TIND Posting (@tindposting) August 16, 2024
The far right made it clear during Covid-19 that they do not care about the deaths of black, disabled, or LGBTQ+ individuals. They are doing so once again.
Disabled women are 2.4 times more likely to die from Covid-19 than women without. This increases to 11.3 times for women aged 65 and under. This statistic is depressing, but unfortunately the ONS says it is conservative at best. As Mpox is a relatively new disease, we do not have statistics on how it may disproportionately affect people with disabilities. However, all disabled folk know that even minor illnesses can exacerbate and flare up pre-existing health conditions.
We saw during Covid the disproportionate impact the virus had on Black communities. Again, the racist far right won’t care about that because it doesn’t fit their narrative.
Racist corporate media
Several news outlets, including Sky News and Al Jazeera released reports detailing the first reported Mpox case in Sweden. They used a photo of a Black person – when less than 1% of the Swedish population is Black. Already, the media are helping the far-right into scapegoating non-white people for the spreading of the disease:
Let me fix it for you.
Sweden records first case of Mpox but it’s a black man from the DRC that you’re using for your headline? https://t.co/eMBXCvc91Q pic.twitter.com/EudbtuioDK
— Sai Ishaya (@Sai_Ishaya_) August 15, 2024
BREAKING: UK preparing after mpox declared global emergency – as Sweden records first case https://t.co/CBBzUYSFdP
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 15, 2024
Why is the image of a black man being used tho?
— NKECHI ENEBELI (iamcharis.base.eth) – Tech Host (@__iamcharis) August 15, 2024
So, as Michael Rosen kindly pointed out:
If mPox gets to the UK, it’ll be OK because some scientists and politicians will be on TV saying that ‘herd immunity’ will deal with it, meaning that most people will get it, old and sick people will die (which is OK) and the rest will get it, not be v. ill, and become ‘immune’.
— Michael Rosen 💙💙🎓🎓 (@MichaelRosenYes) August 15, 2024
Far right ideology is a virus in itself, but unfortunately even our best scientists haven’t come up with a vaccine for that yet.
Feature image via Katie Hopkins OFFICIAL/Youtube
