U.S. FDA did not say there is no scientific evidence that mpox exists

Context

Users on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) shared an article (archived here) by Slay News, a website known for spreading fabricated and misleading stories, headlined "FDA Admits There's 'Zero Scientific Evidence' That 'Monkeypox Virus' Exists" (example archived here). 

The article was shared with captions like "Newly unsealed documents have revealed an explosive confession from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the so-called "monkeypox virus" (example archived here). The X post has over 400 thousand views.

Other users remarked, "FDA pushes "testing" and "vaccines" for a virus that—by the FDA's own words—does not exist" (example archived here).  

According to the Slay News article, the admission was revealed in newsletter writer Christine Massey's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FDA (newsletter available here). 

However, Logically Facts found that the FDA's record did not make such a statement. 

In fact

The Slay News article cites a blog post by Massey on Substack regarding her Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking verifiable proof that mpox exists. In the blog, Massey states the FDA officially admits that they do not have any "responsive records" showing scientific evidence of mpox. This line formed the basis for the Slay News piece.

However, the FDA's Division of Freedom of Information response does not make such a statement. The response is wrongly presented as the FDA admitting that monkeypox is not real. 

                         Screenshot of the FOIA request showing the FDA's response (Source: Slay News)

"FDA's response to the FOIA request referenced has been inappropriately characterised in the articles. The FOIA request referenced sought specific documents for which there were no responsive records. Mpox is a well-documented virus with known health consequences. The FDA continues to work in coordination with our public health partners across the globe to respond to this virus", an FDA spokesperson confirmed to Logically Facts.

Massey's blog includes multiple posts displaying skepticism towards global viruses. Media Bias/Fact Check classifies Slay News as a "questionable source" with low credibility based on the promotion of conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, poor sourcing, and failed fact-checks. Logically Facts has previously covered and refuted claims made by the website.

On its website, the FDA shares facts about mpox and the organization's role in mpox preparedness and response.

Mpox is real. First detected in humans in the 1970s, the mpox virus, previously known as monkeypox, causes a disease similar to smallpox but less severe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In August 2024, the WHO declared mpox a "global health emergency" after an upsurge in mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries. The FDA has approved two vaccines to prevent the disease.

The verdict

The FDA did not say there is no scientific evidence that mpox exists. Mpox is a real virus and is recognized as such by the FDA. The story originates from a questionable source and cites evidence that does not make the claim. Therefore, we marked the claim as false.