FACT CHECK: No, Mpox is not 'Money Pox,' it is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus

CLAIM:

Mpox is 'Money Pox,' a hoax used to get people to spend on vaccines

FACT:

Mpox is a viral illness cased by the monkeypox virus

Is mpox a hoax being peddled by a pharma lobby, to loot people in the name of vaccines?

Well that is exactly what this video by a Dr Biswaroop Roy Chowdhury, a popular online figure who reportedly has no medical qualification, claims. In the video, which seems to be promoting a book by Dr Chowdhury called 'Monkeypox: Plandemic-II Launched' and a 3 month certification course on 'Intergrated Medicine,' he describes mpox as money pox and claims it is aimed at starting another round of mass scale vaccination.

He claims that the pictures shared of monkeypox afflicted people by "propaganda media" have been shot upto 17 years ago.

"So all the photos they are showing you, it is not of people who have been infected recently. They are showing you old photos from archives to scare you into believing that there is an outbreak now," he says.

He goes on to insinuate that mpox is no different from skin conditions that were around earlier too. "We also had small pox, chicken pox, pimples, etc in our childhood. But under a propaganda, to attempt to call it an epidemic/pandemic, and to use that as an excuse to push vaccines later; that is new... I think it is time that you become your own doctor, because the conventional pharma lobby, is looting you by scaring you in the name of treating you," he says.

However, Team First Check has found these claims to be misleading. In fact in the descriptor of the video, they have included a disclaimer which states "the content provided in our health videos is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment... Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the content presented in our videos. Reliance on any information provided in our videos is solely at your own risk."

According to the World Health Organisation, mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.

They have asserted that mpox continues to be a threat today, and an upsurge of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries has raised concern. They also advise people to consider taking a vaccination, along with other public health interventions, to help protect against the viral illness that causes a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.