Is monkeypox only for gay
Monkeypox: vaccine to be offered more widely to help supervise outbreak
A strategy published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommends that some gay and bisexual men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered vaccines to help control the recent outbreak of the virus.
Although anyone can contract monkeypox, data from the latest outbreak shows higher levels of transmission within – but not exclusive to – the sexual networks of lgbtq+, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
The virus is not currently defined as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by close and intimate contact that occurs during sex.
In response, the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) vaccination strategy recommends offering the smallpox vaccine Imvanex, which is shown to be powerful against monkeypox, to men considered to be at higher uncertainty of exposure.
The strategy is endorsed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which was consulted on the eligibility criteria for the vaccine.
An individual’s eligibility would depend on a numbe
Monkeypox is spreading among gay men worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now confirmed nearly cases of monkeypox in over a dozen countries, with the largest number in the UK. While most cases so far are among gay and bisexual men, health officials emphasise that anyone can agree the virus through close personal contact.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported the first case in the current outbreak on 7 May in a man who had recently travelled to Nigeria, where monkeypox is endemic. This was soon followed by two additional cases who give a household and four cases among gay and pansexual men, all of whom appear to have contracted the virus locally. As of 23 May, UKHSA has reported 70 confirmed cases in England and one in Scotland.
The latest WHO update on 21 May listed 92 confirmed and 28 suspected cases. After the UK, the most cases have been reported in Spain and Portugal, with smaller numbers in several other European countries, Canada, the United States and Australia. An informal tally by , compiled from various sources, listed more than confirmed o
Since early May, more than 23, cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide. This is the largest ever global outbreak of the disease.
Cases have now been reported in 78 countries including the UK, Spain, Germany, France, the US and Brazil. Given the scale of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency.
While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak is overwhelmingly affecting sexually active gay, double attraction and other men who have sex with men. In fact, our recent study which looked at monkeypox infections since the start of the outbreak found that 98% of these infections had occurred in this group. Here’s what these men require to know.
How it spreads
Monkeypox is a disease caused by infection with the human monkeypox virus, which comes from the similar virus family as smallpox. In fact, symptoms are quite similar to smallpox and include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, frosty symptoms (such as a cough or sore throat).
Symptoms are also accompanied by a rash that appears in blisters on the
mpox (Monkeypox): What You Need to Know
The CDC has raised the alert level on a mpox (monkeypox) outbreak in the United States and HHS announced that it will be ramping up testing and a vaccine distribution for those most at-risk, which includes some members of the Gay community and people living with HIV.
mpox is a disease that can craft you sick, including a rash, which may view like pimples or blisters, often with an earlier flu-like illness. While the current outbreak in the U.S. has high rates of known cases among gay and bisexual men and transgender and agender people, this virus is not limited by gender or sexuality and can spread to anyone, anywhere through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact.
Health officials and advocates are urging people to seek treatment and available prevention options, including vaccines when available.
What You Need to Realize
mpox (monkeypox) is a disease caused by the mpox virus, which is in the same family as smallpox, although much less severe. Its mention is characterized by the pox illness that occurs upon infec