Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Health authorities are investigating more than two dozen confirmed cases of monkeypox in Canada as part of an unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease that rarely spreads outside of Africa.
Twenty-five infections have been confirmed in Quebec, as well as one in Ontario, the Canadian Public Health Agency said Thursday, predicting the number will rise in the coming days.
Although everyone is susceptible to the virus, groups of cases have been reported among men who have sex with men, officials say.
For some LGBTQ2S + advocates, this raises the specter of sexual stigmatization that saw gay and bisexual men as scapegoats for the rising HIV / AIDS epidemic. Others say early detection of monkeypox cases by sexual health clinics shows how the queer community has mobilized to dismantle shame and promote safe practices.
The Deputy Director of Public Health of Canada said he was aware of the potential for stigma and discrimination, and reiterated that the spread of the virus is not limited to any specific sexual group or orientation.
But as early signs suggest the virus is circulating in certain communities, authorities are working to raise awareness of people at high risk of exposure, Dr. Howard Njoo told a news conference on Thursday.
The disease can be contracted through close contact with a sick person, including but not limited to sexual activity, Njoo said. Scientists are still working to determine what is driving cross-border transmission of the virus.
Aaron Purdie, executive director of the Health Initiative for Men in BC, said he is concerned that the spread of fear and stigma could pose a greater threat than the disease itself.
“The stigma is spreading like a virus,” Purdie said. “Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either.
Stigma can be a major obstacle to the effective prevention and treatment of disease, especially for gay men who have suffered systemic discrimination by the health care system, Purdie said.
Dane Griffiths, director of the Ontario Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance, said silence tends to perpetuate stigma, so one of the best strategies to combat it is to provide timely and accurate information. without “shame or guilt.”
The identification of smallpox cases in men who have sex with men speaks to the success of community-led efforts to improve access to evidence and sexual health care, Griffiths said.
“There are gay, bisexual men who have come all over the world to clinics and doctor’s offices and are being seen and therefore counted,” Griffiths said. “That’s good, and it should be encouraged in our community.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 28, 2022.
With archives of Jacob Serebrin in Montreal