published25. May 2022, 15:11
The monkeypox outbreak in several countries is believed to have been linked to two raves where men had sex with men. The World Health Organization warns against stigma. Aids Switzerland is also concerned.
The first case in Switzerland was reported in Bern on Saturday.
via REUTERS
The WHO and the Swiss AIDS Federation make it clear: “Monkeypox is not a gay disease.”
WHO/Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
“Monkeypox is not a gay disease.” That’s what Andy Seale, WHO adviser on global sexually transmitted infections, said in a question and answer session on Monday. “While we’re seeing some cases in men having sex with men, it’s not a gay disease, as some on social media have tried to label it,” Seale said.
The origin of the assumptions and stigmatization in the social media was that experts assume that there were transmissions during sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain.
“Could also have happened at a heterosexual swinger party”
Florian Vock from the Swiss AIDS Federation is happy about such clear statements: “There is no logical explanation why monkeypox should be due to sexual identity,” says Vock. It is clear that close physical contact is necessary. “It’s common knowledge that this happens during sex. However, according to the current state of knowledge, whether men or women have sex with one another does not play a role in the transmission of monkeypox.” The fact that there were several transmissions at events where men had sex with each other was probably just a coincidence.
For Vock, it is important that this is communicated transparently: “People who may have been exposed to a risk must be informed. In this case, those are the men who had sex at those parties. But the outbreak could just as easily have happened at a heterosexual swingers party.”
“Exclusion is a driver for epidemics”
Vock warns against stigmatization. “One of the biggest drivers of an epidemic is proven social exclusion. We have already seen that with AIDS and then also with Corona.” Once people were afraid of being discriminated against or subjected to hatred if they had an illness, they feared the diagnosis. “As a result, people are less likely to be tested despite symptoms. You convince yourself that it’s not that bad and that it could be something else.”
According to Vock, it is extremely important, especially at the beginning, that people with symptoms undergo a medical examination. “It’s nobody’s fault if he or she catches monkeypox or any other disease. Nobody should be ashamed of it or have to be afraid of the diagnosis. This is the only way cases can be detected early and further infections prevented. » If affected men feel reluctant to report symptoms to their family doctor, they can also call checkpoints or other sexual health agencies.
According to Vock, men who have sex with men don’t have to be overly cautious: “Gay men certainly don’t need to give up sex now. In the case of skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, fever and body aches, it is always worthwhile for men who have sex with men to consult a medical specialist. » Because these symptoms can, and that is much more likely at the moment, come from a sexually transmitted infection such as syphilis. “In contrast to monkeypox, such diseases are common.”