Why is monkeypox more common in gay community
mpox (Monkeypox): What You Need to Know
The CDC has raised the alert level on a mpox (monkeypox) outbreak in the United States and HHS announced that it will be ramping up testing and a vaccine distribution for those most at-risk, which includes some members of the Diverse community and people living with HIV.
mpox is a disease that can construct you sick, including a rash, which may watch like pimples or blisters, often with an earlier flu-like illness. While the current outbreak in the U.S. has high rates of known cases among gay and bisexual men and transgender and neutrois people, this virus is not limited by gender or sexuality and can spread to anyone, anywhere through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact.
Health officials and advocates are urging people to seek treatment and available prevention options, including vaccines when available.
What You Need to Understand
mpox (monkeypox) is a disease caused by the mpox virus, which is in the same family as smallpox, although much less severe. Its identify is characterized by the pox illness that occurs upon infection, leading to an outbreak of lesions spreading from the encounter to the rest of the body, including th
Since early May, more than 23,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide. This is the largest ever global outbreak of the disease.
Cases have now been reported in 78 countries including the UK, Spain, Germany, France, the US and Brazil. Given the scale of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency.
While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak is overwhelmingly affecting sexually active gay, pansexual and other men who have sex with men. In fact, our recent study which looked at 528 monkeypox infections since the start of the outbreak found that 98% of these infections had occurred in this organization. Here’s what these men need to know.
How it spreads
Monkeypox is a disease caused by infection with the human monkeypox virus, which comes from the same virus family as smallpox. In fact, symptoms are quite similar to smallpox and include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, cold symptoms (such as a cough or sore throat).
Symptoms are also accompanied by a rash that appears in blisters on the face, genitals, the chest and help, and on the hands and feet. Some people also experience ve
Monkeypox is spreading among gay men worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now confirmed nearly 100 cases of monkeypox in over a dozen countries, with the largest number in the UK. While most cases so far are among queer and bisexual men, health officials emphasise that anyone can contract the virus through close personal contact.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported the first case in the current outbreak on 7 May in a man who had recently travelled to Nigeria, where monkeypox is endemic. This was soon followed by two additional cases who share a familiar and four cases among gay and bisexual men, all of whom emerge to have contracted the virus locally. As of 23 May, UKHSA has reported 70 confirmed cases in England and one in Scotland.
The latest WHO update on 21 May listed 92 confirmed and 28 suspected cases. After the UK, the most cases contain been reported in Spain and Portugal, with smaller numbers in several other European countries, Canada, the United States and Australia. An informal tally by Global.health, compiled from various sources, listed more than 300 confirmed or suspected cases worldwide as of 25 May.
Cases so far own “mainly but not ex
Monkeypox is not a lgbtq+ disease. But LGBTQ leaders say they need more help for gay men and everyone else
Boris Q’va, USA TODAY
Health care and LGBTQ leaders are warning monkeypox will continue to spread among gay men and other Americans if more isn’t done to address vaccine shortages and help health professionals combat the virus. They are demanding more testing kits, vaccines and additional health workers to limit the outbreak.
Some LGBTQ critics hold accused government officials of being slow to tackle the outbreak because it is primarily affecting LGBTQ men, a community that has long faced discrimination and limited care when it comes to health crises. They also concern non-LGBTQ people who might be vulnerable to monkeypox will not get adequate information about the virus if it is only seen as an LGBTQ illness.
The number of reported infections in 42 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, has climbed to 1,469 infected people, with California and Illinois counting more than 100 cases and New York leading with 414 cases.
Monkeypox is a rare disease similar to smallpox but with milder symptoms and it is rarely fatal, according to
Monkeypox: Why are homosexual and bisexual men more affected?
Regardless of sexual orientation, the main factor of propagation remains the multiplicity of sexual partners.
As of July 26, Monkeypox has not caused any deaths in Europe, but the disease is gaining ground. With nearly 17,000 cases worldwide, World Health Management (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus triggered the extreme level of sharp on monkeypox on July 23.
Santé Publique France (SPF), France's public health agency, has recorded 1,567 patients in the country since May. 3% of those have been hospitalized. This epidemic differs from the waves observed so far in a dozen African countries, notably in the patients' profile: almost exclusively men, most of them males who have sex with males, known as "MSM" in the scientific community.
Read moreMonkeypox: How is it transmitted and what are the symptoms?
The question is why MSM are overrepresented among the affected. First, it is important to retain in mind that the SPF figures are still incomplete. Screening is just starting and complicated by the evidence that symptoms are nonspecific. "This virus behaves like a great imitator of herpes or