What The Pox? - Investigating the Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak

In this episode of What The Pox? , host Martin Joseph explores the resurgence of news about MPOX in 2024 after it is once again declared a global health emergency by the WHO in August 2024. The episode unpacks the spread of the more dangerous Clade 1B virus, which is killing hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its wider impact in Central and West Africa. We ask if a global...

"I’ve been taking PrEP for almost 7 years now. During that time, I’ve been crazy enthusiastic about making positive changes to reduce health inequalities. But I have seen how queer health has been mishandled time and time again - most recently, MPOX is the perfect example" So today, Phil Samba is here to help us all discover the untold story behind PrEP, the revolutionary pill that's transforming...

It’s been quite a year since we last spoke to you. But since we have, as many of the experts we talked to predicted, pockets of outbreaks that have the potential to spread epidemically have started to pop up again. We’ve also seen Monkeypox get renamed to MPOX to combat stigma and racist stereotypes connected to the virus.  As we mark a year since the UK outbreak peaked, we wanted to check in...

Countries are struggling, vaccines are scarce and mpox (monkeypox) is at risk of becoming endemic in many countries. In the final episode of this documentary, we find out what actions need to be taken at a global scale to get the outbreak under control. This virus became endemic in some countries after we first saw it in the 1970s, and we have not done much about it. That bears repeating, for over...

Sex. Some people aren’t just doing it - they’re really doing it. But, like with anything fun - safety comes first. We’ve got to be aware of sexually transmitted infections. Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, but this current outbreak is being transmitted sexually. And when it comes to infections that are passed on sexually, there is an added level of stigma. It’s clear that when ST...

I haven’t had one. Some people have - but with a limited supply left, just who can get a vaccine? Medical professionals are under the assumption that I currently don’t need a vaccine as they think I probably have some immunity. But we don’t know how long that will last. I’m nervous about if and what immunity I have and how long it will last. I can’t imagine having to go through all of this again....

In this bonus episode of What The Pox? host Martin Joseph shares his most recent QueerAF episode: How can you be queer, single and happy? Monkeypox stigma and shame, is inherently linked to queer and sex shame - and so the themes in this episode, ring so true. So true, they are practically an episode of the show. ] We'll be back to wrap up the season over the coming weeks with big interviews with...

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis is like the Chris Witty of monkeypox in the US - slides and all. But can you imagine anyone 'official' in the UK talking about buttholes, fetish gear or anal while responding to a health crisis?  That's what Daskalakis is doing, and he says the language he's persuaded the CDC to use is working better than anything they've used before. In official CDC guides about the vi...

Health secretary Thérèse Coffey has rejected advice from officials to procure additional doses of the mpox (monkeypox) vaccine. That's the topline from Donato Mancini's scoop for the FT this weekend. But what does it mean? Read Donato's story in the Financial Times It's raised great concern that it will leave the UK ill-prepared for a resurgence of the disease. This news comes as the outbreak coul...

Mpox (Monkeypox) has been troubling for many queers here in the UK and US because of the parallels to HIV. The legacy of AIDS stigma born in the 80s still lives with us today. This UK government has not released statements damning LGBTQIA+ people for monkeypox, but their silence is damning. It has had almost the same effect in drumming up homophobic rhetoric as if they had directly targeted us wit...

Mpox (monkeypox) - when I was super sick, in pain and feeling really under the weather - wasn't even the worst part. It was telling people. I couldn't put my finger on why, though. I knew in my rational brain that I had done nothing wrong. But I couldn't shake this feeling. For the longest time - I couldn't figure it out. And then it hit me. I grew up in the 90s, in the shadow of HIV, hearing...

Mpox (monkeypox) - about four days into isolating with it - I got some pretty intense pain. After spending 24 hours in agony - I called 111 for help. They got me an emergency appointment, and I had to cover up my legions and wear a mask. Reasonable requests. But the response I got was less so. I was greeted with what could only be described as panic. Staff used hushed tones, and a doctor in full P...

I still have a lot of questions about Mpox (Monkeypox). And I've literally made a whole podcast about it. I remember sitting in the doctor's surgery not long after catching it, wanting to know: What treatment is available? How long will this part last? Then after I recovered, why wasn't I automatically eligible for the vaccine - am I immune? So I put these questions to the experts and doctors who'...

Mpox (Monkeypox). That’s what we are here to talk about. And this episode is everything I needed to hear when I first caught the virus. Quite a lot of people have got it or had it at this point. I’m one of them. In early July this year, I had monkeypox… and it was not fun. When I was alone at home, with monkeypox - in all kinds of pain. I was desperate for information. I googled "how long will thi...

Monkeypox. That’s what we’re here to talk about. Quite a lot of people have got it or had it at this point. I’m one of them. And it was not fun.  When I was home alone with Monkeypox in all kinds of pain, Feeling scared and alone I had very little information. So I went online to find help.  And guess what - there wasn’t much official advice. But I did start talking to all kinds of peopl...