How COVID Opened a 'Pandora's Box' of Monkeypox, Polio and Other Diseases

As the world grapples with the reality of living with COVID-19, a rogue's gallery of deadly pathogens seems to have stepped up the attack. Monkeypox, a close relation of smallpox, is officially a public health emergency worldwide. The current outbreak—the first large one ever outside of Africa—has spread globally to more than 45,000 people, including more than 16,000 confirmed cases in the U.S. And polio, a disease routinely referred to as "eradicated," is circulating in and around New York City and London, bringing with it the irreversible paralysis that strikes about one of 200 people infected with the disease.

These two headline-grabbing afflictions are only the most visible elements in a spate of new outbreaks. The world seems to be entering a new, deadly era of health threats from infectious diseases—old ones we thought we'd wiped out, and new ones on the rise. "It feels like COVID-19 has opened up a Pandora's box of infectious disease surprises," says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "What's next?"