Facts Matter: Monkeypox spread through close contact, not mosquito bites

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.

Although mosquitoes can sometimes transfer a small amount of infected blood from one person to another, that amount wouldn't be enough to cause a new monkeypox infection, University of Kentucky microbiology professor Ilhem Messaoudi Powers, told USA Today.

"When individuals are infected with monkeypox virus, the ... levels of virus in the blood do not reach a high enough level to be transmitted via a blood meal taken by a mosquito," she said.

McConnell didn't say Pelosi should be jailed

A post making the rounds on social media, including video, claims Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be in jail.

But this claim is false, according to Reuters. The post actually includes two videos of McConnell speaking, but he doesn't say anything about Pelosi being jailed.

In the first clip, McConnell speaks in 2019 about passing the Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act. In the second clip, the Republican leader talks about Pelosi's proposal for a commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol building.

McConnell mentions Pelosi in both videos but doesn't say she should be jailed.

A search of McConnell's tweets and other statements found nothing about Pelosi going to jail, Reuters said.

All IRS employees not required to carry guns

The $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act includes nearly $80 billion in funding for the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. Some social media users shared posts about how the money will be spent.

"The IRS is looking to fill 87,000 positions. Requirements include working min '50 hours per week, which may include irregular hours, and be on-call 24/7, including holidays and weekends' and 'Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary,'" read an Aug. 10 Facebook post.

But that's not accurate, according to The Associated Press. That job description doesn't apply to most positions at the IRS. It's a help-wanted ad for special agents in the IRS' criminal investigations division. It's being shared as a generic ad for all new jobs.

Criminal investigations division spokesperson Justin Cole told the AP special agents in that division are the only agents, among nearly 80,000 employees at the IRS, to carry firearms.

"In reality, only a small fraction of IRS employees - about 2,100 special agents in IRS Criminal Investigation - carry firearms. This is consistent with other federal law enforcement agencies," Cole said.

The claim that the Inflation Reduction Act will allow the IRS to hire 87,000 new agents is also misleading, the AP said.

That number is from a prior Treasury Department proposal to hire that many IRS employees over the next decade, but a specific number is not in the act. The IRS has not finalized its hiring plans, a Treasury official told the AP.

Social Security boost not planned for seniors

An online post claims older Americans - those born before 1957 - will be receiving a boost of $1,728 to their Social Security payments if they click on a link to register.

But the post is fake, according to PolitiFact. It's a scam.

The site requires the user to fill in name, age, location, phone number and email address. After filling in the information, the user lands on a page with ads for Medicare supplement insurance.

The website is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration nor the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

"CMS is making no such payments," a CMS spokesperson told PolitiFact. "Scammers target people with Medicare, as older Americans are particularly vulnerable to fraud and scams."

• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.