Beginning on November 19, 2022, were all U.S. citizens entitled to $1,700 per week if they mitigated the spread of monkeypox by staying home? No, that's not true: No such compensation program is in place and the claim is a set-up for a joke. The claim seems to have originated from a tweet (archived here) posted on November 22, 2022.…

Is monkeypox the same thing as modern-day leprosy or the condition mentioned in the Bible? No, neither is true: Whether using the biblical or today's medical definition, leprosy is very different from monkeypox. "In ancient times, leprosy was a 'catchall' term for any disease that particularly affected the skin," according to The Leprosy Mission International. In an email to Lead…

Is monkeypox an airborne disease that causes paralysis? No, that's not true: While its transmission might occur during prolonged face-to-face contact, the particles do not stay in the air for long and thus it cannot be classified as an airborne disease, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) says. Experts interviewed by Lead Stories said that monkeypox has been…

Are gyms locked down and are people forced to wear masks to stop the spread of monkeypox? No, that's not true: There have been no federal government orders as of July 27, 2022, for gyms to be closed or mask mandated to stop the spread of monkeypox. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does recommend that people who…

Do many media outlets recycle old photos of monkeypox lesions when reporting on current or past outbreaks of monkeypox? Does this indicate that there have not been any new cases of monkeypox found and the reporting is not factual? No, that's not true: It is common practice for media outlets to use stock photos. The screenshots in this claim do…

Do COVID-19 vaccines cause monkeypox and shingles? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that either disease is caused by the shot for COVID. Both monkeypox and shingles are caused by specific viruses, neither of which are included in COVID-19 vaccines. But, even if the viruses were the same, the COVID shots still couldn't cause infection. "Because none of the…

Is Bill Gates behind the 2022 monkeypox outbreak? No, that's not true: The claim wildly misconstrues a November 2021 comment Gates made about pandemic preparedness. He was discussing the possibility of simulating a smallpox attack in order to build global readiness. Gates did not mention monkeypox and there is no evidence to support the allegation that he is, in any…

Are governments waging biological war via monkeypox? No, that's not true: There's zero evidence monkeypox virus, the virus that causes monkeypox, is being used by governments to cause disease. Monkeypox was first identified in humans in 1970. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) by RED PILL USA 17 on May 22, 2022. The post includes a short…

Did Pfizer include tromethamine, an "ingredient used to stabilize heart attack victims" in its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 years old? Only as a stabilizing pH buffer to make it easier to store. While tromethamine is being used as an inactive ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in children aged 5-11 years old, both Pfizer and…