Monkeypox: public health advice for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men

25 May 2022 Departmental news

An outbreak of a disease called monkeypox is currently taking place in many countries that do not typically have cases. This can be concerning, especially for people whose loved ones or community have been affected. Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. It is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men. Anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious is at risk.

However, given that the virus is being identified in these communities, learning about monkeypox will help ensure that as few people as possible are affected and that the outbreak can be stopped.

This public health advice contains information on how monkeypox spreads, what to do if you think you have symptoms and how to protect yourself and others. It can be used by community leaders, influencers, health workers and people attending social events and parties to inform and engage communities of men who have sex with men.

What you need to know

An outbreak of a disease called monkeypox is happening in some countries where the virus is not typically found. Some of these cases are being found in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Transgender people and gender-diverse people may also be more vulnerable in the context of the current outbreak. Symptoms include:

Rash with blisters on face, hands, feet, eyes, mouth and/or genitals
Fever
Swollen lymph nodes
Headaches
Muscle aches
Low energy

You can catch monkeypox if you have close physical contact with someone who is showing symptoms. This includes touching and being face-to-face. Monkeypox can spread during close skin-to-skin contact during sex, including kissing, touching, oral and penetrative sex with someone who has symptoms. Avoid having close contact with anyone who has symptoms.

Protect yourself and others by:

Isolating at home and talking to a health worker if you have symptoms
Avoid skin-to-skin or face-to-face contact, including sexual contact with anyone who has symptoms . Clean hands, objects, and surfaces that have been touched regularly . Wear a mask if you are in close contact with someone with symptoms

Stigmatising people because of a disease is never ok. Anyone can get or pass on monkeypox, regardless of their sexuality.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

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John Bellamy Comments: If it is not Brexit or Covid now we move onto Monkey Pox and it does seem that it is one thing after another in order to keep us all on a state of heightened alert and in doing so, keep us living in fear - and in doing so - keep up controllable by the powers that be.

We have already lived through one media stigma aimed at gay men when HIV / Aids kicked off in the 1980's - where misinformation and damning of gay men as the cause ( which was untrue ) and where many turned their backs on gay men out of a rabid fear of something they thought could be caught from a toilet seat ( thanks to The Sun paper ) and yet was something anyone could catch.

Same goes for Monkey pox.

I receive the occasional request - right through Covid Lockdown and again just recently - from dumb mother fuckers within the gay scene who think it smart to try and rent the venue and put on a sex party weekend and - naturally, they got told EXACTLY what they could do with the request and EXACTLY where they could shove their moronic brain dead assumption it was okay during a global pandemic to STILL fuck your brains out and to hell with taking precautions. Sadly, there will always be those shameful faggots out there who are a disgrace to the LGBT scene and who send out all the wrong messages about the lifestyle of gay men.

Monkey Pox is the next pandemic to hit us and while I have missed the last two, remaining HIV Negative and I have not caught Covid - we must all stay aware - all stay conscious and all say alert against those stupid enough to spread this disease and who clearly do not give a rats ass what they do as long as they have fun and to hell with the consequences.

I knew guys like this back in the '80's and they have all been long dead and the oldest - 36 years of age - and there was no one to blame, if blame is the right word, but themselves. We all knew about safe sex - we all knew the dangers and we all knew people who died decades before their time - and some of us are still here and still breathing while many- simply - are not.

Monkey Pox is the next worry and is apparently quite rife within the gay male world where many have multiple partners at a time when we all know this to be risky but - as the expression goes - ' A HARD ON CLEARS THE MIND OF ANY INTELLIGENT THOUGHTS.'

So check out the various web sites available and make sure you are informed and up-to-date with what is going on and - like me - avoid sexual contact with those who have multiple sex partners and avoid going to the saunas.

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