The summer of 2022 might be remembered as a moment when the proverbial canary in the coal mine sang a few false notes. In July the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency after more than 16,000 monkeypox infections were confirmed in 75 countries all over the globe. By early the following month, California, Illinois and New York had also declared public health emergencies, and some experts believed a new pandemic had already begun in the United States. On Aug. 4th American officials declared a national public health emergency, prompting millions to fear that they would catch a disease that was notorious for causing pustules to emerge all over your body.
That was only two months ago. As of today, the seven-day average for new monkeypox infections is one-seventh of what it was at its early August peak. Why?
