Eric Sawyer has a familiar fear. In the gay village of Fire Island Pines, where he owns a bungalow, men swap rumors of ghastly symptoms, scan each other for any blemishes, and seek the medical attention that is missing. For 68-year-old Sawyer, this kind of anxiety is not an artifact, but a scar on the heart.
“Although monkey pox is not fatal, as is the case with HIV, there are countless horrors,” says Sawyer, a longtime activist who in 1987 worked on the ground floor of ACT UP, a collective committed to fighting the AIDS epidemic. “It opens many severe wounds, restores the broken mourning after the death of so many friends.”
As of May 17, nearly 5,200 cases of monkey pox have been identified in the United States, and none have been fatal; the overwhelming majority of those infected around the world are men who have sex with men, a demographic whose broad and dense sexual networks are a conduit for the virus that spreads through close, often intimate, physical contact.
The plague may not be as severe as HIV or the coronavirus still causing Covid-19, but monkey pox has emerged at a time when America’s gays are already feeling stressed and vulnerable. Sawyer thinks about the recent rise in homophobia, including state-level anti-gay legislation, and the rise in threats and attacks against LGBTQ people. The social symptom of monkey pox is the fear that the country is moving towards a time shift; in the 1980s, AIDS was first erroneously labeled in the media as “gay-related immunodeficiency” and the gay community suffered not only from disease but also from ostracism again.
“I am concerned that a major epidemic in the gay community of something like monkey pox will exacerbate direct, planned attacks on our community,” says Sawyer.
However, the community is more visible, stronger, accepted and prepared than it was 40 years ago, thanks to the work of people like Sawyer, who says he helped fight vaccination for 2,000 Pines visitors over three weeks in July. Recovering from the AIDS crisis, the gay community helped create the protocols, networks and models for pandemic response that were used to address covid-19, and now monkey pox.
“There is a direct line of inheritance when it comes to the culture of what we do,” says Keletso Makofane, 35, a social networking epidemiologist who conducts a quick, queer study of sex networks and the symptoms of monkey pox in New York City. The city will direct the distribution of the limited supply of vaccines. ACT UP is still an important center for mobilizing people, he says, with queers holding weekly meetings, splitting up into committees and planning joint actions in response to monkey pox.
“This vocabulary comes from ACT UP and intervening movements like Occupy that echo back,” says Makofane, who works mostly in his ninth-floor apartment in Harlem. “We definitely don’t build structures from scratch.”
Monkey pox is a completely different virus than HIV, and 2022 is light years from 1981. But there is a spiritual echo in the current epidemic, “a cultural reflective memory that exists even beyond the people who experienced it for the first time,” says Demetre. Daskalakis, 48, director of HIV / AIDS prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to public health experts who criticized the initial lack of clear communication about the tests, symptoms, and who was most at risk, there was a government response that was slow and fragmented. There is a stigma imposed on the community that was first hit. At rallies at public health agencies, he seizes with rage against anyone who might attack the epidemic. And skin changes! Kaposi’s sarcoma was a signal of almost certain death in the 1980s, and now monkey pox pimples are a harbinger of burning pain, albeit temporary and not fatal.
The stakes are much lower when it comes to mortality, but agita is high. Any heat rash is suspect. Every ingrown hair is a mockery. Recently, gays have been hailed as disease carriers in the streets. Text messages about known contacts – routine communication between gays about common sexually transmitted infections – now have a more sinister aura. The LGBTQ community checks all health tips, every offhand tweet for signs of scolding or sexual shame. New adjectives and metaphors that describe the pain that may accompany infection (“visceral”, “excruciating”, “knives”, “curling iron”) are exhausted.
“I think we are all exhausted,” says Nicholas Diamond, 29, chief editor of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (and Makofane’s husband). “Maybe we just saw the light at the end of the covid-19 pandemic tunnel and are looking forward to the lewd summer, and now we have monkey pox and a government that has really figured out its answer without learning from covid19. So everyone is tired. And it’s hard to talk about anything when you’re worried about whether your last sex will make you sick or whether your last visit to a bar will make you sick. And I have to wonder if our community was thinking about that in 1981.
There is something terrible about sitting in a folding chair in 2022, surrounded by other gays in folding chairs, waiting to be vaccinated by health workers who wear personal protective equipment and immediately wipe every chair released with disinfectant. “Moments to come back” is how Amanda Cary, head of the Whitman-Walker, Washington, gay sexual health clinic, describes it, even though she did not experience the original moments at the age of 38.
Last Thursday, Cary told her first patient, whom she had tested for monkey pox, that the testing lab had initially prohibited its phlebotomes from collecting blood from people with suspected or confirmed cases. Cary was also wearing full personal protective equipment in line with CDC guidelines.
“The patient said,” Wow, that’s just like the 1980s, “says Cary, noting that the patient was also too young to survive the peak of the crisis. “It’s stigmatizing. And also a bit scary, especially at the beginning. For the first few patients, I expressed a lot of encouragement: “I’m wearing crazy clothes, but it won’t kill you. You will overcome it. The same will disappear. We have treatment available. “
A thirty-something epidemiologist in Washington, D.C., who contracted monkey pox in mid-June, endured fever and night sweats, swollen lymph nodes and groin, and lesions in the genitals and rectum for five days. “Deep Visceral Pain.”
“And there is this stigma and shame trigger,” says the epidemiologist, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was concerned about the stigma. “Oh, if you have HIV, you did it in a very slutty way” or “If you got monkey pox, you got it in a very slutty way.” The mental health aspects of exposure, and stigma are related. How are we going to deal with it?
One way is to remember a key lesson from the AIDS crisis: educate communities, not issue categorical bans that increase the stigma, says CDC Daskalakis, who disseminates safer sex and socializing guidance through social networks and influencers.
“Absolutism tends to shut down how people think,” says Daskalakis. “So really thinking about a harm reduction strategy – where you give people the knowledge they need to make informed choices – is the way we win.”
Homosexuals had to be more honest with themselves, risking appearing to be teaching or alienated. On July 19, AIDS activist Mark S. King wrote an essay entitled: “Monkey pox is a gay affair. We have to say it.
Will there be stigma, judgments and homophobia? Of course. And we will have to deal with it, ”wrote King. “But that doesn’t mean we hide key facts in obscure, evasive news.”
Sexual positivity defines modern gay life, as does awareness, prevention, and treatment of disease. Last month, Nicholas Diamond helped create an advice sheet called “Six Ways to Have Safer Sex in the Age of Monkey Pox.”
“Girls, we hate to say it, but maybe it’s time to end group sex and saunas until we all get shots of both vaccines,” wrote Diamond with two of his colleagues in a quick New York monkey pox study, where the mayor announced Monday. state of emergency in connection with the outbreak of the epidemic. “It’s temporary and comes out of love for group sex and those who like it.”
The World Health Organization followed up on this last week, in short, guys, cool it down a bit.
“For men who have sex with men, so far this includes reducing the number of sexual partners” and “reconsidering sex with new partners,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO.
“Something many people don’t want to say out loud is: gays have more sexual partners on average,” says Steven W. Thrasher, whose new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide tracks the interplay between systemic and systemic injustice. susceptibility to disease. “But there is a responsibility that comes with the sexual dimension of our lives. It’s not just an orgy for everyone.
The community shares knowledge, pressures government action and promotes harm reduction. A strange cinematic event on Friday in San Francisco advertised a temperature check, 60 percent capacity, and a “consent and well-being briefing” at the door where colored wristbands were distributed based on the personal preferences of participants. On July 25, Washington Blade personally hosted Eaton City Hall on K Street NW, where approximately 50 LGBTQ citizens and public health experts exchanged advice, insights and concerns. Blade’s counterpart in Los Angeles after July 27 with its own town hall, which included a resident named Matt Ford, who was one of the first Americans to detail his experience with the outbreak on social media.
Giving this kind of witness fights the stigma and makes the problem real for people, said Los Angeles panelist Dan Wohlfeiler. It also refers to that earlier time.
“In 1983, I saw a young man named Mark Feldman stand up in front of a crowd of this size in a San Francisco synagogue and talk about HIV,” said Wohlfeiler, who has been working on HIV and STD prevention for decades. “And he said,” Anyone who wants to come to the front of the room and see my shifts can come and do it. ” And that was an incredibly powerful moment. And now Matt and the others report back and talk about their experiences and symptoms – which are thankfully not that serious, but clearly painful – and I think we really owe Matt and the others a big thank you.
But all this debate about whether monkey pox should be labeled “sexually transmitted” or “gay thing” – “all this is happening solely because we’re surprised because our government has not reacted proactively,” says Kenyon Farrow. public health activist in the Cleveland area.
As Thrasher writes in his book, “individualized narratives of shame not only shift the blame from the state and society to the individual, but also isolate individuals, both through politics and socially.”
There are greater lessons here in this current epidemic, as there have been greater lessons in earlier ones – lessons on persistent homophobia, structural racism, and global inequality that have fostered the inattention of previous monkey pox outbreaks in Central and West Africa.
“The most obvious conversation we should have – and it should be clear to all of the last two years of covid – is that our public health system is failing us, right?” says Farrow, who is the managing director of advocacy and the organization PrEP4All, an organization dedicated to increasing access to HIV drugs. “We’d better start thinking about how to reimagine public health in the United States and around the world if we want the chance to continuously deal with ongoing communicable disease crises.”
How did the first human get monkeypox?
Monkey pox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of smallpox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research purposes. Although dubbed “monkey pox”, the source of the disease remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (such as monkeys) can carry the virus and infect humans.
How did the first person get monkey pox? In humans, the disease was confined to the rainforests of west and central Africa until 2003, when an outbreak of monkey pox broke out in the United States. All cases concerned sick rodents imported from Ghana. Local prairie dogs caught the infection and passed it on to their owners.
Where was monkey pox first found?
Epidemics. Human monkey pox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 9-month-old boy in a region where smallpox was eradicated in 1968.
What is monkey pox and how is it spread?
Monkey pox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin contact, including: Direct contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids of a person with monkey pox. Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by a person infected with monkey pox.
When did monkey pox start?
Monkey pox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of smallpox-like disease occurred in the groups of monkeys used for the study. It is spread mainly through human contact with infected rodents, but can sometimes be spread through skin contact with an infected person.
Where is the first case of monkeypox?
The first case of monkey pox in the WHO Southeast Asia region was reported from India in a 35-year-old man who arrived from the Middle East earlier this week.
How long did monkeypox last?
The disease usually lasts for 2-4 weeks. If you have a new or unexplained rash or other symptoms … Avoid close contact, including sex or intimacy, with anyone until you have been checked by a doctor. If you do not have a provider or health insurance, visit a local public health clinic.
Does monkeypox cause death?
According to the CDC, 1 in 10 cases of monkey pox will result in death. Severe cases are more likely to result in death. Risk factors for severe cases include: being younger.
How long does it take to get rid of monkeypox?
Monkey pox is usually mild and resolves within 2 to 4 weeks. The rash goes through several stages, ending in pustules that crumble and fall off. Treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms with simple painkillers and keeping you hydrated.
When was the last monkeypox outbreak?
On May 30, 2022, Nigeria recorded the first death from monkey pox; the last time the country reported a death from this disease in 2019. On July 20, 2022, the World Health Organization reported that 5 deaths had occurred in endemic African countries during the epidemic.
Does monkeypox have a cure?
The monkey pox will go away without any treatment. Very few people have been hospitalized and no one has died, which is good news, and there is a vaccine available, but most people do not qualify for it. However, if someone has been exposed to significant exposure, it is possible to get a vaccine to prevent the disease.
How do monkeypox spread?
Monkey pox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin contact, including: Direct contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids of a person with monkey pox. Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by a person infected with monkey pox.
What happens when you get monkeypox?
Monkey pox is spread through close contact and contact with an infected person’s respiratory droplets, skin lesions, or other body fluids. Symptoms of monkey pox include swollen lymph nodes, fever, and a rash that may initially be confused with chickenpox or an STI if it occurs around the genitals or the anus.
How do monkey pox start?
Symptoms of monkey pox usually begin within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, a rash usually appears 1-4 days later. Monkey pox can spread from the moment symptoms start until the rash heals, all the scabs fall off and a fresh layer of skin forms.
How can we prevent monkeypox?
Take the following steps to prevent catching monkey pox:
- Avoid close skin-to-skin contact with people who have a monkey pox-like rash. …
- Avoid contact with items and materials that have been used by the person infected with monkey pox.
How long can monkeypox live on surfaces?
While there is no specific timeframe for how long monkey pox can last on the surface, there have been cases where the live pox virus survived for up to 15 days in an uninhabited home. A basic household cleaner, EPA registered, can inactivate the virus.
How long does it take for monkey pox to spread? Typically, it takes 1 to 2 weeks to get the monkey pox virus, but it can take up to 3 weeks.
Can you get monkeypox from surface?
Monkey pox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin contact, including: Direct contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids of a person with monkey pox. Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by a person infected with monkey pox.
How long can monkeypox last on surfaces?
The virus can live for months to years in scabs, she adds. The report doesn’t say how long the virus can survive on surfaces, but researchers found the virus live 15 days after it left the patient’s home, according to one study, according to the CDC.
Can you get monkeypox from toilet seats?
DISCLAIMER: An Irish news site published a headline stating that “monkey pox can live on door handles and toilet seats for 120 years and can infect anyone from 8km away.” AP RATING: False. No such headline was published.
Can you get monkeypox from saliva?
Scientists in another study found evidence of the monkey pox virus D.N.A. in saliva, urine, feces and semen, but they do not yet know if the virus found there is capable of replicating and infecting another individual.
Can monkeypox spread through bedding?
The most common transmission of monkey pox occurs through direct contact with a rash or wounds from someone who has the virus. But according to the CDC and the New York City Department of Health, it can also spread from contact with clothing, bedding, or other items used by an infected person.
How do you disinfect monkeypox?
Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects, such as counters or light switches, with an EPA-registered disinfectant (such as Q List) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When in close contact with other people at home, wear a well-fitting protective device (e.g., medical mask).
Is sanitizer effective against monkeypox?
Summary: All Callington Group sanitizing and sanitizing products have excellent efficacy against monkey pox. This has been proven by testing against related approved surrogate enveloped viruses such as murine hepatitis virus, vaccinia virus and influenza virus.
How do you disinfect clothes from monkeypox?
Use hot water or highest temperature setting. Use normal detergent. You don’t need to use color-safe chlorine bleach or other disinfectant. Dry clean, wet laundry at the highest temperature allowed.
What disinfectant kills monkeypox virus?
Currently, there are no approved disinfectants for use against monkey pox. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects products on the Disinfectant List for Emerging Viral Pathogens (Q List) to kill monkey pox when used as directed on the label.
How long does monkeypox virus live on surfaces?
The virus can live for months to years in scabs, she adds. The report doesn’t say how long the virus can survive on surfaces, but researchers found the virus live 15 days after it left the patient’s home, according to one study, according to the CDC. Can you die of monkey pox?
How long does monkeypox virus live on surfaces?
The virus can live for months to years in scabs, she adds. The report doesn’t say how long the virus can survive on surfaces, but researchers found the virus live 15 days after it left the patient’s home, according to one study, according to the CDC. Can you die of monkey pox?
How long can monkeypox live on bedding?
The virus can live on surfaces such as mulch for up to 15 days.
Can you get monkeypox from toilet seats?
DISCLAIMER: An Irish news site published a headline stating that “monkey pox can live on door handles and toilet seats for 120 years and can infect anyone from 8km away.” AP RATING: False. No such headline was published.
Can monkeypox spread through bedding?
The most common transmission of monkey pox occurs through direct contact with a rash or wounds from someone who has the virus. But according to the CDC and the New York City Department of Health, it can also spread from contact with clothing, bedding, or other items used by an infected person.
How do you avoid getting monkeypox?
Some smallpox vaccines can prevent monkey pox, including the ACAM2000 and Jynneos vaccines. These vaccines can be used to prevent monkey pox as both smallpox and monkey pox are caused by related viruses.
Where is monkey pox most common? Monkey pox is most common in Central and West Africa. But in May 2022, health officials began reporting the virus outbreak in several regions outside of Africa.
How do you protect against monkeypox?
Avoid touching clothes, sheets, blankets or other materials that have been in contact with an infected animal or person. Isolate people who have monkey pox from healthy people. After each contact with an infected person or animal, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Avoid animals that can transmit the virus.
What should I do if I think I have monkeypox?
If you have or suspect you have monkey pox you are contagious – so do whatever you can to prevent the spread of the disease. Isolate yourself if you can, do not have sex while you recover, and do not attend parties or large gatherings of close contact.
How can you prevent the spread of monkeypox?
Monkey pox
- Avoid close physical contact with sick people.
- Do not kiss, cuddle, or share food or cups with other people.
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
- Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.
Does smallpox vaccination protect against monkeypox?
Vaccines that use vaccinia virus to prevent smallpox are likely to be effective against monkey pox (see Vaccine Efficacy below).
What vaccine protects against monkeypox?
JYNNEOS vaccine is manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of smallpox and monkey pox.
How did monkeypox spread?
Touching items (such as clothing or bedding) that have previously touched an infectious rash or body fluids is another way monkey pox spreads. It is also possible to contract monkey pox from infected animals, by scratching or biting the animal, eating meat, or using products from infected animals.
Can monkeypox be treated?
There are no treatments available that specifically target the monkey pox virus. However, as with vaccination, since the smallpox and simian pox viruses are similar, antiviral treatment against smallpox may be effective in treating monkey pox.
How is monkeypox transferred?
Monkey pox does not spread readily between humans. Human to human transmission occurs through close contact with infectious material from skin lesions of an infected person, through airway droplets with prolonged face-to-face contact, and through molds.
How did monkeypox get to humans?
It is also possible for humans to contract monkey pox from infected animals, either by scratching or biting by the animal, or by preparing or eating meat or using products from an infected animal. Monkey pox can spread from the onset of symptoms until the rash has completely healed and a fresh layer of skin is formed.
How do monkeypox start?
Monkey pox is spread when you come into contact with an animal or person infected with the virus. Transmission from animal to human occurs through broken skin, for example by bite or scratching, or by direct contact with blood from an infected animal, body fluids, or smallpox lesions (ulcerations).
What happens if you get monkeypox?
Early symptoms of monkey pox can include fever, headache, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, but a rash may be the first symptom. Rash lesions start flat, rise, fill with clear fluid (vesicles), and then become pustules (filled with pus). A person with monkey pox may have many or only a few lesions.
Is monkeypox fatal?
The symptoms of monkey pox are similar to those of small pox but are milder, and monkey pox is rarely fatal. Monkey pox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of smallpox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research purposes.
Can you recover from monkeypox?
Monkey pox is usually a mild disease. Most people recover within 2 to 4 weeks. However, in some cases, if a person is genuinely sick, they may need hospital treatment in a specialist unit.
How monkey pox is spread?
Monkey pox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin contact, including: Direct contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids of a person with monkey pox. Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by a person infected with monkey pox.
Does monkeypox hurt?
In addition to the usual symptoms, the new symptoms of monkey pox can include: A painful rash that may appear on the pubic area, on the genitals, or around the anus. Fewer lumps (one to two lumps) Lumps that look like blisters, pus-filled lumps, or open sores.
How do I get rid of monkeypox?
According to the CDC, there is no specific treatment approved for monkey pox infection. But antiviral medications developed for use in patients with smallpox may work. “We have two antiviral drugs. One is known as brincidofovir.
How long does it take to get rid of monkey pox? Monkey pox is usually mild and resolves within 2 to 4 weeks. The rash goes through several stages, ending in pustules that crumble and fall off. Treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms with simple painkillers and keeping you hydrated.
Is monkeypox go away on its own?
It causes flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills, and a rash that may take weeks to resolve. There is no proven treatment for monkey pox, but it usually goes away on its own.
How do I get rid of monkeypox?
According to the CDC, there is no specific treatment approved for monkey pox infection. But antiviral medications developed for use in patients with smallpox may work. “We have two antiviral drugs. One is known as brincidofovir.
Does monkeypox heal on its own?
In most cases, the symptoms of monkey pox resolve on their own within a few weeks. However, in some people, the infection can lead to medical complications and even death. Newborns, children, and those with underlying immunodeficiencies may be at risk of more severe symptoms and death from monkey pox.
How long does it take for monkeypox to go away?
Monkey pox can spread from the onset of symptoms until the rash has completely healed and a fresh layer of skin is formed. The disease usually lasts for 2-4 weeks.
Does monkeypox stay in your body forever?
Monkey pox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases are more common in children and are related to the degree of exposure to the virus, the patient’s state of health, and the nature of the complications. Underlying immunodeficiencies can lead to worse outcomes.
How long does monkeypox virus last?
Monkey pox can spread from the moment symptoms start until the rash heals, all the scabs fall off and a fresh layer of skin forms. The disease usually lasts for 2-4 weeks.
What are the first signs of monkeypox?
The initial symptoms of monkey pox include fever, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes enlarged lymph nodes. The disease can cause a rash that leads to red bumps on the skin that can appear on the hands, feet, face, mouth, and even genitals. These rashes can develop into raised bumps or painful red lumps filled with pus.
How do you get rid of monkeypox?
According to the CDC, there is no specific treatment approved for monkey pox infection. But antiviral medications developed for use in patients with smallpox may work. “We have two antiviral drugs. One is known as brincidofovir.
Does monkeypox rash go away?
The disease usually lasts for 2-4 weeks. If you have a new or unexplained rash or other symptoms … Avoid close contact, including sex or intimacy, with anyone until you have been checked by a doctor. If you do not have a provider or health insurance, visit a local public health clinic.
Can you survive monkeypox?
Monkey pox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting 2 to 4 weeks. Serious cases can occur. Recently, the case fatality rate has been around 3-6%.
How do I protect myself from monkeypox?
How to protect yourself
- Avoid close skin-to-skin contact with people who have a monkey pox-like rash. …
- Avoid contact with items and materials that have been used by the person infected with monkey pox.
What happens if you get monkeypox?
Symptoms of monkey pox usually begin within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, a rash usually appears 1-4 days later. Monkey pox can spread from the moment symptoms start until the rash heals, all the scabs fall off and a fresh layer of skin forms.
Does monkeypox hurt?
In addition to the usual symptoms, the new symptoms of monkey pox can include: A painful rash that may appear on the pubic area, on the genitals, or around the anus. Fewer lumps (one to two lumps) Lumps that look like blisters, pus-filled lumps, or open sores.
Can you recover from monkeypox?
Treatment of monkey pox Monkey pox is usually a mild disease. Most people recover within 2 to 4 weeks. However, in some cases, when a person is genuinely sick, they may need hospital treatment in a specialist unit.
