The last two-and-a-half years of a virulent coronavirus pandemic have been a teachable moment for all of us.We have learnt that life will never be “normal” again, to expect the unexpected at short notice and that being responsible can make a life-saving difference.We have for the most part adjusted to living with a virus that has simply refused to go away although many countries have virtually stopped counting infections, removed protocols, and dropped PCR tests for travel and mandatory mask-wearing.In fact, some experts suggest that COVID is nearing its endemic stage with cases in some countries consistently on the decline.Yet, recent spikes in infections in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and elsewhere send a clear signal that we can hardly drop our guard.Infectious disease specialists have also been closely monitoring monkeypox, described as a rare disease that is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox.
