Veganism and Monkeypox – Does the lifestily help?
Veganism as a lifestyle choice is becoming increasingly popular by the day. The reasons why people switch to a vegan diet can be for many different reasons. Most people do it for the animals and the planet but some do it for health reasons.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can’t transfer from animals to humans. First discovered in 1958, and in 1970 human cases were reported with a large outbreak. 2022 has seen the biggest outbreak of monkeypox since 1970, and the cases being reported are on a global scale. With the increase in diseases that have originated in animals in recent years, many activists around the world have been calling on people to go vegan, but how much does that help? In this article, we will look at the link between veganism and monkeypox, and how going vegan can help lower your risk of monkeypox
What are the symptoms and how dangerous is it?
The symptoms of monkeypox might not be instantly visible in a person and might take some time to show up. Generally, the symptoms show within 21 days of the transmission of the disease. The symptoms to look out for in monkeypox are:
- Constant headaches
- High fever
- Chills
- Muscle and backache
- Weakness
Monkeypox shares a lot of its symptoms with smallpox, but monkeypox doesn’t hit victims as badly as smallpox.
Other than these symptoms, monkeypox can also leave the person it affects with rashes and raised skin bumps that can be very irritating and infectious. In most cases, these rashes will clear up by themselves within a month.
Monkeypox can affect different people very differently. In some places, the mortality rate of monkeypox was seen at less than 3%, while in other places the mortality rate rose to 10%. A lot of it can come down to whom the disease affects and the overall healthcare in the country. Developing countries in Africa have seen a higher number of deaths than European countries like the UK. monkeypox is also much more likely to negatively affect smaller children and pregnant women. Monkeypox can also leave your body very weak and susceptible to other diseases and weaknesses.
How is monkeypox transmitted to humans?
Human to human
Monkeypox can be transmitted from one person to another very easily with personal contact of any kind being able to transmit the disease. Monkeypox can also be caught by touching items used or touched by an infected person. In some cases, it has been reported that monkeypox can also transmit from a pregnant woman to the fetus
Animals to humans
Monkeypox can be caught by humans very easily in many ways. The disease can easily transfer to a human by any contact they have with an animal. Being scratched or bitten can easily transmit the virus to a human. Eating an animal infected with monkeypox is seen as a big culprit in increasing the number of monkeypox cases.
How can I protect myself from monkeypox and benefit from being vegan
When looking at the infection caused by an animal, it is always best to avoid contact with wild animals, as these animals can carry and transmit monkeypox easily. On top of that, there are also many other diseases that should be avoided anyway.
How veganism helps
Vegans around the world have been urging people to stop eating meat, and the re-emergence of monkeypox helps in solidifying this message. Monkeypox can easily transfer from animal meat when it is consumed and it is affected. In most cases the people who are being affected have been infected by wild animals they have contact with or consume.
Cases from farm animals to humans haven’t been very common but with the new wave of monkeypox, scientists are discovering new ways in which the virus is transferring to people. That being said, even if eating raised meat won’t infect you with monkeypox, there are orthopox viruses similar to monkeypox that can affect you. Other animal-borne diseases in the past could have also been avoided if going vegan was the choice of more people.
Preventing transmission between humans
Basic SOPs should be followed, similar to what people have been accustomed to with COVID. Alongside that, there are vaccines for monkeypox, and smallpox vaccines are also effective in the prevention of monkeypox.
Additional benefits to being a vegan
The vegan lifestyle avoids using animal products, which is a big reason for it lowering the chances of getting monkeypox. Other than that, going vegan is still a very healthy lifestyle choice and very good for you. Most of the essential nutrients you need can be found in plant-based diets with vegan foods being very good for you. Researchers have found that vegan people live much longer lives on average. In the past, being vegan was a very hard lifestyle choice due to the limited food options, and the ones that were there were very expensive. Nowadays, there are many vegan options in the market and even online you can find many delicious vegan recipes. So not only will going vegan help you prevent monkeypox, but it will also make your life much healthier.
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