A charity has spoken out over the "damaging stigma" being aimed at the LGBTQ+ community as cases of monkeypox continue to rise.
Monkeypox is a rare infection that’s mainly spread by wild animals in parts of west or central Africa. The risk of catching it in the UK tends to be low, however as of Tuesday, May 31, the total number of cases reported by UKHSA has risen to 190.
Gay men, bisexual men or men who have sex with other men, in particular, have been urged to pay extra caution to the symptoms of the virus as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) claims “the majority of the cases identified to date” have been among this group.
READ MORE: Monkeypox experts say family pets could be put into quarantine
However, Body Positive, a Cheshire-based charity, said the message is fuelling stigma about the community and expressed their concerns that it will lead to a rise in incidents of homophobia. Rachel Walker, the community development worker at Body Positive Cheshire and North Wales, told Cheshire Live : “As is often the case, stigma and misinformation about diseases often cause more difficulties for people who need treatment or are trying to stay safe because unfounded and inaccurate ideas start to spread.
“Monkeypox has been making the news recently with an unusual outbreak in the UK causing some concern for health professionals. Much of the reporting has created confusion about how people can catch the disease and who is likely to be affected. Sadly in the case of monkeypox, this may lead to homophobia or abuse which is damaging to the LGBTQ+ community and may impact public health in general.
“It is caused by the monkeypox virus. A member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low. The current outbreak started in one community - gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men - but could be spread by anyone in close contact with another person who is infected. Transmission just happened to have started within the gay community, who are already stigmatised due to out of date ideas about HIV. It is important we tackle these misleading messages so that everyone is informed and protected.”
Early symptoms include high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering and exhaustion, with a rash usually appearing up to five days after the first symptoms. It can be treated with the smallpox vaccine along with antiviral drugs. Monkeypox rarely passes between people but can be via close person-to-person contact or contact with items used by a person who has the virus, such as clothes, bedding or utensils.
On the NHS website, Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser, UKHSA, said: “We are continuing to promptly detect new monkeypox cases through our extensive surveillance network and NHS services. If anyone suspects they might have rashes or lesions on any part of their body, particularly if they have recently had a new sexual partner, they should limit their contact with others and contact NHS 111.”
UKHSA teams have been tracing contacts of people with a confirmed case and are advising those at highest risk to isolate themselves at home for up to 21 days. A smallpox vaccine is being offered to close contacts to reduce their risk of symptoms and severe illness.
The health body is also advising infected people to avoid contact with their pets for 21 days, particularly rodents such as gerbils and hamsters which are susceptible to the disease. UKHSA guidance recommends pet rodents should be removed from the household of a monkeypox patient for that time period and tested for the virus, due to concerns over animal-to-animal or rodent-to-human transmission.
