Monkey pox can be spread from close physical contact, regardless of sexual orientation or race, and scapegoating or demonizing the entire LGBTQ community as “spreaders” will be a repeat of the mistake made during the AIDS epidemic, according to health professionals and activists.
The monkeypox outbreak has raised widespread fear for the LGBTQ community amid reports of the disease being found among men who have sex with men.
Indian equal rights activist Harish Iyer said monkey pox is not only spreading to the LGBTQ community.
“It happened in the community when there was pride month and there were more events in the community. It’s just an episode of everyone going to a wedding and then they got Covid. So you have to look at them as victims and not as perpetrators.” Iyer told PTI.
He also said that the smallpox outbreak already stigmatizes the community and people who developed a fever are afraid to go for a medical test.
“Even AIDS was called a gay-related disorder because it was thought to spread only among gay men. But even heterosexuals can have multiple partners.
“The WHO has a precedent. They know what happened during the AIDS epidemic and their warning message could have been clearer. They could have been more careful about it. Why do they assume heterosexuals don’t have multiple partners Iyer said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a public health advisory stating that “some cases (of monkeypox) have been identified through sexual health clinics in communities of gay, bisexual, and others who have sex with men.”
The World Health Organization also asked men who have sex with men to limit their partners.
Cross-community health expert Anmol Singh said there is a risk that people will now start to distance themselves from the community, further isolating them.
“Stigmatized thinking that we have more sex partners or that we are more into sex work than any other heterosexual person will create more negativity,” Singh said.
Health professionals have also clarified that monkeypox can be spread by close physical contact, regardless of sexual orientation or race.
Dr Somesh Gupta, Professor, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, AIIMS, Delhi, said the Covid pandemic seems to have boosted media efforts to report on the latest developments in healthcare.
But without the temperament of a medical professional, it becomes a weapon for sensationalism, he said.
“It’s happening again, this time in Monkeypox – a disease that is clearly transmitted not only sexually, but also through close contact, including skin-to-skin and skin-to-cloth, such as in a family living together or with friends who meet for lunch.” said Dr. Gupta.
“Unfortunately, (monkey pox) is endemic in Africa, a continent largely ignored in terms of its knowledge. With the increase in new cases, it has begun to be identified in homosexual and bisexual circles before than others, as it involves intimate skin-to-skin contact. But it has also been found in semen samples,” he added.
Starting with high-grade fever, sore throat, painful swelling in the groin, and rectal pain, patients develop the characteristic at a later stage.
But sometimes, there are imperceptible fluid-filled blisters on the face, palms, soles, and ulcers in the mouth and genitals that remain infectious until the lesions dry out and the scabs fall off with the formation of new skin on under.
“If we are not careful, it would be the history of HIV-AIDS repeated, a deja vu. Stigmatized and isolated, patients would not report symptoms and seek treatment, which would lead to further transmission while the majority heterosexual population was uninformed and even and all health departments. wrongly assume they are not at risk,” Dr Gupta said.
Dr. Satish Koul, Director of Internal Medicine,
Memorial Research Institute, said stigmatization can quickly disable evidence-based response by fueling cycles of fear, turning people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify cases and encouraging ineffective punitive measures.
“We must urge the media, governments and communities to respond with a rights-based and evidence-based approach that avoids stigma.
“Stigma and guilt undermine confidence and the ability to respond effectively during outbreaks like this,” Dr Koul said.
Raj Mariwala, director of the Mariwala Health Initiative, said it is very important to look critically at public health messages.
“Instead of scapegoating or demonizing entire communities as ‘spreaders’ or using the suspect label, it’s important to focus on accessible and affirming ways to talk about how to protect yourself while being accurate about how the virus is transmitted
“Transmission occurs primarily through close body contact, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. This is so relevant for any united social network and not just for LGBTQIA communities. Otherwise, we risk the widespread discrimination that took place because of the surrounding health messages. HIV AIDS,” he said.
Dr Sumol Ratna, an assistant professor at the International Institute of Medical Sciences in Noida, said that people who identify as transgender or who have gender differences may be more susceptible due to the current smallpox outbreak in monkey
“It is crucial to avoid stigmatizing gay and bisexual or African men as disease carriers. Although we are detecting clusters, especially in some populations, viruses do not care about a person’s sexual orientation, religion or race . Keep your distance from anyone who is showing symptoms,” he said.