Monkey pox only in gay people
Monkeypox: vaccine to be offered more widely to help control outbreak
A strategy published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommends that some gay and multi-attracted men at higher uncertainty of exposure to monkeypox should be offered vaccines to help control the recent outbreak of the virus.
Although anyone can reduce monkeypox, data from the latest outbreak shows higher levels of transmission within – but not exclusive to – the sexual networks of gay, double attraction and other men who have sex with men.
The virus is not currently defined as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by close and intimate contact that occurs during sex.
In response, the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) vaccination strategy recommends offering the smallpox vaccine Imvanex, which is shown to be effective against monkeypox, to men considered to be at higher peril of exposure.
The strategy is endorsed by the Connected Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which was consulted on the eligibility criteria for the vaccine.
An individual’s eligibility would rest on on a numbe
Monkeypox is spreading among gay men worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now confirmed nearly cases of monkeypox in over a dozen countries, with the largest number in the UK. While most cases so far are among gay and bisexual men, health officials emphasise that anyone can reduce 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 contribute a household and four cases among gay and pansexual men, all of whom appear 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 have been reported in Spain and Portugal, with smaller numbers in several other European countries, Canada, the United States and Australia. An informal tally by , compiled from various sources, listed more than confirmed o
‘I felt like I was dirty’: experiences of gay men diagnosed with mpox in England
“After I left the clinic, I got very emotional. Not because I had monkeypox…But I felt let down by the way the discourse, and the way that the infection, the virus or whatever it is, was being portrayed as well. It took me to a place where I just didn’t await to feel in terms of my experience, as a homosexual man, with lots of privilege in lots of ways. Usually I felt like I had dignity in the [health] service and the way I am treated by the government and the likes of that. And it just kind of really sped away suddenly.”
A recent study found that men diagnosed with mpox, clinicians and society stakeholders believe that the government's perceived inaction towards the illness was due to its association with stigmatised sexual minorities. This systemic failure was often compared to the initial response to the AIDS crisis.
Glossary
stigma
Social attitudes that suggest that having a particular illness or being in a particular situation is something to be ashamed of. Stigma can be questioned and
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 Homosexual community and people living with HIV.
mpox is a disease that can create you sick, including a rash, which may view 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 Recognize
mpox (monkeypox) is a disease caused by the mpox virus, which is in the same family as smallpox, although much less severe. Its call is characterized by the pox illness that occurs upon infec