The CDC, Monkeypox, And Masks

As of last January, the word was this:

The CDC has struggled with clear messaging and COVID-19 guidance during the pandemic, and the agency will aim to do better, Rochelle Walensky, MD, director of the CDC, told The Wall Street Journal.

. . . TWalensky said she is committed to communicating CDC policy more clearly. She is being coached by a media consultant and plans to hold more media briefings in coming months that are separate from the briefings with the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

How goes the effort, six months later? Well, they've been pivoting to monkeypox, right? Here's what moneypox amounts to, according to the WHO, which treats the delicate subject of transmission most gingerly:

Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or recently contaminated objects. Transmission via droplet respiratory particles usually requires prolonged face-to-face contact . . . . While close physical contact is a well-known risk factor for transmission, it is unclear at this time if monkeypox can be transmitted specifically through sexual transmission routes. Studies are needed to better understand this risk.

More specifically, according to Newsweek,

As cases of monkeypox rise across the nation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the disease is primarily affecting "men who have sex with men."

An update by the CDC showed 31 confirmed cases in the U.S. as of Monday. "It's not clear how the people were exposed to monkeypox, but early data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases," the CDC said regarding monkeypox in the U.S.

So what did the CDC recommend as of Monday morning?

The CDC says travelers should avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions, and steer clear of dead or live wild animals including rats, squirrels and monkeys.

'Avoid eating or preparing meat from wild game (bushmeat) or using products derived from wild animals from Africa (creams, lotions, powders),' the CDC says, recommending travelers also avoid contaminated material such as clothing or bedding.

'Wear a mask,' they state.

'Wearing a mask can help protect you from many diseases, including monkeypox.'

No mention that if you're a guy who has promiscuous sex with other guys, that's the chief risk. Avoid bushmeat, and don't mess with road kill. And of course, wear a mask. There can be little better indication how politically driven CDC's messaging is. But as of Monday evening,

The CDC last week had added mask-wearing as a precautionary measure for people traveling to countries where monkeypox has been detected. The CDC removed that advice from its website late Monday following social-media posts criticizing the agency for what they called mixed messages over the risk posed by the virus.

A CDC spokeswoman said the agency removed the advice because it caused confusion, but didn’t respond immediately to a request for a more detailed explanation.

I suppose it's a positive sign that when someone says, "You blithering idiot, take that down," someone at the CDC had the good sense to do it, and right away. On the other hand, what Ivy League degrees and postgraduate credentials did the person have who put that up in the first place? Wouldn't it have been smarter simply to hire competent people to start with?