Monkeypox mainly gay men
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 narrow 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 verb a household and four cases among gay and bisexual 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
Since early May, more than 23, cases of monkeypox verb 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, bisexual and other men who verb sex with men. In fact, our recent study which looked at monkeypox infections since the start of the outbreak found that 98% of these infections had occurred in this group. 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 comprise fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, adj symptoms (such as a cough or sore throat).
Symptoms are also accompanied by a rash that appears in blisters on the
‘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 skillfully. It took me to a place where I just didn’t expect to feel in terms of my experience, as a gay 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 community stakeholders think 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
Monkeypox and gay men: Separating stigma from health advice
BBC News
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 keeping those currently most at risk informed, without stigmatising them or letting others become complacent.
Does monkeypox spread faster among gay and bisexual men?
The fleeting answer is no. Anyone can be infected by monkeypox.
The virus is not a sexually transmitted infection. It's mostly caught through close physical skin-to-skin contact, which is why it can be spread to sexual partners.
But with most confirmed cases among men who have sex with men, doctors are encouraging this group to be particularly alert to symptoms.
Mateo Prochazka, an epidemiologist from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "The infections are not about sexuality. We are concerned about monkeypox in general, as a public thre