Why is monkey pox more prominent in gay 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. While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak is overwhelmingly affecting sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Keywords: Outbreak, monkeypox, men who have sex with men, public health, surveillance Background Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family.

There are two distinct genetic clades of the MPXV: the Central African (Congo Basin) clade and the West African clade. 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. We answer all of your questions about monkeypox, the viral infection that's been detected among gay and bisexual men in the UK.

All this may explain why the virus is primarily spreading through networks of men who have sex with men. This means that it can spread in households through any close personal contact with an infected person — not just as a result of sexual intimacy.

People generally preferred programs focused on the general population as opposed to those tailored for key marginalized populations. Stigma fears. Jay K. For the new study, a consortium of scores of researchers pooled data on cases of monkeypox that were diagnosed between April 27 and June 24 at 43 sites in 16 countries.

The most important thing now is ensuring all countries have equal access to vaccines and treatment to protect against the further spread of infections. What is monkeypox and how do you catch it? For example, people were more likely to support interventions for sexually transmitted infections when these interventions were tailored for people engaged in sex work or for gay and bisexual men.

So it really does seem to require pretty close, intimate contact to be transmitted. Got a new rash? And this is where we're seeing most of the cases. Condoms protect against sexually transmitted infections, but they do not prevent monkeypox being transmitted. And for many people, the disease is relatively mild and resolves on its own in a few weeks without any need for medical intervention.

Given the scale of the outbreak, the World Health Organization WHO has now declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency. Dr Prochazka says it's not clear why there is a higher proportion of cases among gay men. Monkeypox often prompts initial flu-like symptoms before a rash breaks out, followed by the emergence of skin lesions. Jaime Garcia-Iglesias, a sociologist at the University of Edinburgh who has studied how Aids and Covid affected certain communities, says there's a "significant risk" that the stigma "comes to the surface again" and might stop people from seeking the help they need.

Since early May, more than 23, cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide.

Why it’s important to tell people that monkeypox is predominately affecting gay and bisexual men

In the new global study, the men had a median age of 38 and ranged between 18 and 68 years old. In a CDC survey published in , nearly three-quarters of gay and bisexual respondents reported condomless sex during the previous 12 months. Chloe Orkin receives funding from Gilead Sciences, Viiv Healthcare, Astra Zeneca, Merck Sharpe and Dohme and Janssen for advisory boards, lectureships, travel scholarships and I have also received research grants from the same companies to my institution.

Does monkeypox spread faster among gay and bisexual men? With fears mounting among infectious disease experts that the virus will become endemic in the U. In fact, symptoms are quite similar to smallpox and include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, cold symptoms such as a cough or sore throat. Monkeypox is a disease caused by infection with the human monkeypox virus, which comes from the same virus family as smallpox.

The World Health Organization has declared the virus a global health emergency. 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.

James Gallagher explains what it is and if we should be worried.