Monkeypox cases have increased recently in the U.S. and globally. According to experts, the disease spreads through close contact.
But some social media users have offered alternative medical theories — without any evidence.
“MONKEY POX is transmitted threw (sic) Mosquitoes too omggg,” read a July 31 Facebook post, which was shared more than 4,000 times over a few days.
But there is no evidence the monkeypox virus is spread through mosquito bites, according to USA Today. It is not transmitted in the same way as diseases such as malaria or West Nile virus.
“There is no lab or epidemiology data that supports mosquito-borne transmission of monkeypox — and lots of data that refutes this diagnosis and supports direct contact,” University of Nebraska Medical Center epidemiologist Dr. Ali Khan told USA Today.
Monkeypox is not being spread in the same way as mosquito-borne diseases. In a study of 528 cases of monkeypox diagnosed earlier this year, 95% appear to be transmitted by sexual contact between men.
