Why do only gay people get monkeypox

While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak is overwhelmingly affecting sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Monkeypox: Why are gay and bisexual men more affected? Regardless of sexual orientation, the main factor of propagation remains the multiplicity of sexual partners.

Anyone can get monkeypox, but in the latest outbreak, the virus is predominantly spreading among gay and bisexual men. Officials noted Monday that most of the people affected reported some level. Monkeypox and gay and bisexual men: Fact sheet What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with monkeypox virus.

The virus is a pox virus that was first discovered in monkeys inhence the name. It is believed that the virus naturally lives and reproduces in rodents in central and western Africa. A large proportion of monkeypox cases diagnosed in the UK are among gay and bisexual men. Doctors and public-health experts have spoken to the BBC about the "delicate balance" of why do only gay people get monkeypox those.

He says: "It just happens that the infection appears to have been introduced in networks of gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men. Find out more in our About HIV pages. Share Save. Due to the limited availability of treatment and the self-isolation requirements, mpox was seen as more severe than chlamydia and gonnorhoea. A why do only gay people get monkeypox study found that men diagnosed with mpox, clinicians and community stakeholders believe that the government's perceived inaction towards the illness was due to its association with stigmatised sexual minorities.

The new paper addressed the still open question of whether monkeypox might transmit through semen. In contrast, some men described that larger hospitals with specialist infectious disease units were better equipped to deal with patients experiencing moderate and severe mpox illness. Mr Sparrowhawk says people shouldn't be overly worried but if someone isn't feeling well and develops symptoms such as "fever, headache, swollen lymph glands and a rash" they should get in touch with their clinic for further advice.

Monkeypox and gay men: Separating stigma from health advice

Condoms protect against sexually transmitted infections, but they do not prevent monkeypox being transmitted. I can remember sitting at home and I was just crying because I was like what do I do about these? For many men, adequate symptom control was central to good clinical care as pain was a persistent issue. Primary tabs View active tab Preview.

While some of them searched for information online, others tried to get back in touch with clinical or contact-tracing services.

Later, he was readmitted again with critical illness and required why do only gay people get monkeypox to remove dead tissue from his wounds, which caused life-changing disability. Mpox monkeypox. New York City, the U. It's mostly caught through close physical skin-to-skin contact, which is why it can be spread to sexual partners. A large proportion of monkeypox cases diagnosed in the UK are among gay and bisexual men.

There is a theory that a return of demand for international travel since Covid lockdowns were eased could have played a part in the initial spread. Dr Prochazka says it's not clear why there is a higher proportion of cases among gay men. A man with a critical case of mpox illness felt that the care he received was inadequate and did not take the severity of his condition into account.

This outbreak was first identified in the UK, Portugal and Spain, later spread across Europe and the Americas, and remains an issue in several countries in the global south.

‘I felt like I was dirty’: experiences of gay men diagnosed with mpox in England | aidsmap

And just four, or 0. And it just kind of really sped away suddenly. It impacted me, rather than it being up, down, up down, it was just a long-term stream of depression […] I think there was obviously some long-terms impacts of it on the brain. Many were subtle or one-off comments, while others were more serious. No one has died of monkeypox infection outside of Africa during this outbreak.