CO Health Dept: Gay, Bisexual Men are ‘Defined Population’ in Monkeypox Outbreak
Cases of monkeypox are continuing to spread all across the world, surpassing 10,000 globally. The U.S. has experienced a surge in confirmed cases of the rare disease since the outbreak began in early May.
On June 15 there were only 100 confirmed cases in the nation, now that number exceeds 900. Among these numbers, officials state that many of those affected are gay or bisexual men.
“Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. The monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox, symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms but milder; monkeypox is rarely fatal,” the Center for Disease Control says. “People with monkeypox in the current outbreak generally report having close, sustained physical contact with other people who have monkeypox. While many of those affected in the current global outbreaks are gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox can get the illness.”
Many still correlate the virus with queer men, despite the CDC’s assertion that sexual orientation does not correlate with the disease.
“Monkeypox right now is in a defined population where we are working with people who are at risk. That’s men who are gay, bisexual, men who have sex with other men, especially if they have anonymous partners or multiple partners in the past 14 days.” says Nicole Comstock, with Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment; the state says it knows this based off of global outbreaks.
Though not specifically an LGBTQ issue, monkeypox exemplifies the negative prejudgments and stereotypes that have befell the queer community since the HIV epidemic.
“Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,” says Matthew Kavanagh, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) deputy executive director. “Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify causes, and encouraging ineffective, punitive measures. We appreciate the LGBTI community for having led the way on raising awareness—and we reiterate that this disease can affect anyone.”
Once again, “This disease can affect anyone.”
Symptoms can include swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, exhaustion, headache, and a rash that can look like syphilis, herpes, pimples, or blisters.
“Any leaders, media, or health officials who insinuate correlation with causation amongst the LGBTQ community, or a particular part of our community, are creating a further stigmatizing environment in which the virus can more readily spread,” One Colorado says. “We encourage all LGBTQ Coloradans to stay informed and speak directly to their primary healthcare providers if concerned.”
Everyone should protect themselves from monkeypox. The CDC shares some steps you can take to stop the spread:
“Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox. Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox. Do not kiss, hug, cuddle, or have sex with someone with monkeypox. Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox. Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.”
While the rare disease can cause feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, it is controllable through prevention measures and spreading awareness on how to stop transmission of the virus.
