Claim: Monkeypox is now an airborne disease, among other things, according to BBC News

Rating: FALSE

The Facts
A circulating graphic on Facebook with the BBC News label claims that the Monkeypox disease is transmissible airborne. Aside from this, it also claims that it is now classified as herpes with symptoms lasting 2-4 months and can lead to paralysis. The graphic claims that this information was sourced from the World Health Organization (WHO).
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10228010884046551&set=a.1723034804822&type=3&theater
The claims in this graphic are false. It is also posing as BBC News even though the legitimate news site never published or disseminated such claims.
According to the WHO website, transmission can occur from direct contact with blood, body fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals. Transmission via respiratory particles requires prolonged face-to-face contact, which is why it is not airborne.
It is still unclear if monkeypox can be sexually transmitted. This means that monkeypox is not an STD nor is it a form of herpes. Monkeypox symptoms usually last 2-4 weeks only and not 2-4 months. Paralysis is also not an effect of monkeypox as it does not mainly target the nervous system.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox
Though BBC News has not publicly addressed this issue yet. Their claims and the information they share about monkeypox on their site are very different from the circulating graphic.
https://www.bbc.com/

Why we fact-checked this
Fallacious information like this instills unnecessary fear in its readers. Furthermore, reputable news sources like BBC News are also framed negatively by this post. LM