Trevor Noah lamented the World Health Organization’s declaration that the spread of monkeypox has become a global health emergency during Monday night’s episode of “The Daily Show.”
“Another global health emergency? We just got done with ignoring this pandemic. I don’t know if I can handle another one,” he said, adding that he wasn’t thrilled New York City was among the cities with a large outbreak yet again. “Why is New York the epicenter again? Haven’t we been through enough? Hurricane Sandy, coronavirus, the Knicks. I’m joking. I’m joking. Sandy wasn’t a complete disaster.”
Despite his best efforts, the late night host couldn’t quite put his finger on what about Manhattan made it a place where disease spreads so rapidly.
“Seriously, people. What is it about New York? Why do diseases love it?” he asked. “What is it about this place outside of the rats and the cockroaches and the subways full of feces and piles of garbage on the sidewalk? Outside of all of that, why do diseases love New York?”
While Noah is certainly worried about the spread of the monkeypox, and it’s particularly exhausting to be going through one public health crisis while still in the midst of another, he also contended that dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years has somewhat prepared him for life with another disease outbreak.
“The good news and the big difference between monkeypox and COVID is, so far, monkeypox doesn’t seem as dangerous — so far. Still gotta take it seriously,” he said. “But for most people, it gives you some painful boils for a few days, and then it’s gone. And after COVID, I’m not gonna lie: That doesn’t faze me. ‘Cause it’s like, ‘Is this gonna kill a million people and shut down the planet? No? Well then I’m taking these boils to the club, baby.’”
According to the WHO, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported across more than 70 countries, and cases are rising rapidly. In a moment of seriousness, Noah pleaded with his audience not to stigmatize this illness the way that others have been stigmatized in the past.
“You may have noticed that online or somewhere else people are saying that monkeypox is a gay disease. Please understand that is not true, all right?” he said. “Anyone can get it. So, while we should make sure the gay community has the support that they need, we also shouldn’t stigmatize them and make it seem like monkeypox is their disease. The same way COVID wasn’t a Chinese person’s disease. The same way AIDS wasn’t an African person’s disease.”
But his reminder, of course, ended with a punch line: “No matter where a disease starts, if you don’t stomp it out, it could spread out to the larger population. Some disease might start in a frat house, but if you don’t stop it, one day your granny could be on the phone with you like, ‘I don’t have much longer sweetie. The doctors say I’ve got f–kboy fever.’”
You can watch the full video above.
