Re: Monkeypox is on the rise in the LGBTQ community. Here's what to know - queers spread it.

In article <[email protected]>
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> Very happy to see Swallwell fail after his immature ignorant behavior with a Chink whore spy.
>
> Monkey Pox, right on time to give Democrats an excuse to cheat in the next election.

(CNN)Anyone can get monkeypox, but in the latest outbreak, the 
virus is predominantly spreading among gay and bisexual men. 
Officials noted Monday that most of the people affected reported 
some level of sexual activity.

That doesn't mean the virus is sexually transmitted, but 
officials say it shows that prolonged skin-to-skin contact is 
one of the major ways monkeypox is now spreading.

As of Monday evening, data from the US Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention shows 1,972 probable or confirmed 
monkeypox cases in the US.

As of now, the risk of monkeypox is low, according to the CDC, 
but public health experts say there are still things you can do 
to protect yourself, especially if you're in the pool of higher-
risk people.

That pool includes men who have sex with men, particularly those 
who have had multiple sexual partners in the past two weeks in 
an area with known monkeypox cases.

Here's what to know.

How monkeypox spreads
Symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the 
monkeypox virus and last two to four weeks.

The virus typically triggers a rash with lesions that can be 
extremely painful. The pain may even be enough to push some 
people to go to the hospital, but that seems to be rare.

The rash often starts on the face and spreads to other parts of 
the body, the CDC says. Some people will also have a fever at 
first.

A person with monkeypox can give the virus to others at any 
point until their rash has healed, the scabs have fallen off and 
they have a fresh layer of skin on the affected area.

The virus transmits primarily though close, skin-on-skin 
physical contact, but it can also spread when you touch objects 
like sheets or towels that may have been used by somebody with 
monkeypox, as well as through close face-to-face interactions 
like kissing.

This outbreak is a little different
The latest outbreak looks a little different, according to Dr. 
Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS 
Prevention.

Monkeypox isn't considered a sexually transmitted disease, but 
most people who have gotten it in the US recently report some 
level of sexual activity, he said Monday. That can include 
penetrative encounters as well as oral sex.

"Some people have had the rash all over their body or different 
parts of their body, but there are many who are presenting with 
the genital and anal lesions as their first indication of 
illness," Daskalakis said. "That sort of speaks for that close 
prolonged contact."

The virus may theoretically be transmitted through respiratory 
droplets, he said, but the CDC is not seeing that happen in this 
outbreak.

"I can't prove how efficient it is. It doesn't seem to be very 
efficient. So it's more contact with skin to skin, more than 
face-to-face contact.

"But in the harm reduction discussion, it's really important to 
say what we know and don't know," Daskalakis said. "It's just 
important for folks to know that it's not impossible to transmit 
monkeypox that way so they can really adjust behavior as needed."

Parties vs. bars
Scientists are still studying how monkeypox is spreading in this 
outbreak, but they say people don't seem to be getting sick 
after, say, walking past someone or giving them a hug and 
brushing past a lesion on their skin.

"If it's a hug that doesn't necessarily include a shirt, there's 
a theoretical risk of transmission there, but that's not what 
we're hearing in terms of what's happening with our cases, so 
it's lower risk. I can't say zero risk," Daskalakis said.

Rather, it's longer contact that seems to be responsible for 
most cases now. "If you were to ask me how long 'long' is, I 
can't answer that question, but it seems as if it's possible 
that this is not being transmitted by a light brush," 
Daskalaskis said.

A circuit party, a large dance party that can attract thousands 
of men and last through a night or weekend, could be one way the 
virus spreads. Dancing shirtless at a party that has good 
ventilation, without interacting with someone who has visible 
lesions, is probably low-risk. If there's an after-party that 
leads to sex, that's much riskier.

In enclosed spaces such as back rooms, saunas or sex clubs, or 
at sex parties where there's often anonymous contact with 
multiple partners, there may be a higher likelihood of spreading 
monkeypox, the CDC says.

A typical gay bar where people go to hang out is different.
"Socializing is a part of what [LGBTQ people] do. So I don't 
think that it's something that we stop. It's just sort of 
important to have awareness how monkeypox transmits and you're 
aware of your own risk and how to mitigate that risk," 
Daskalakis said.
How to protect yourself

Researchers are also investigating whether the virus can be 
spread by someone who has no symptoms, or through semen, vaginal 
fluids and fecal matter, according to the CDC.

The CDC says that wearing a condom may help, but alone, it 
probably will not protect against the spread of monkeypox. 
However, the agency still emphasizes that condoms can prevent 
other sexually transmitted infections.

There is a vaccine to protect against monkeypox, but demand for 
it far outstrips supply.
One thing people can do to protect themselves until the supply 
improves is to avoid contact with those who are clearly 
infected, especially close face-to-face contact like kissing.

"In line with our harm reduction guidance, thinking about 
reducing your number of partners, potentially trying to avoid 
anonymous contacts ends up being smart from the perspective of 
decreasing the risk of exposure," Daskalakis said.

The CDC says people might want to reduce skin contact as much as 
possible by having sex with clothes on or after covering areas 
where the rash is present.

If you choose to have sex with someone who has monkeypox or who 
might have been exposed to it, talk about the virus ahead of 
time.
Officials also say to keep in mind that their advice could 
change as scientists learn more. It may change if monkeypox 
starts to spread through other contact, such as when people live 
closely together in places like homeless shelters or when people 
play full-contact sports.

"I think the most important thing is that it's good to have 
awareness and some level of worry about some of these things, 
but it's not paralysis," Daskalakis said. "Realistically 
speaking, skin-on-skin contact of any variety theoretically can 
transmit monkeypox, but what we're seeing is, you kind of have 
to work at it a bit."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/18/health/monkeypox-lgbtq-
safety/index.html