2023-10-06 08:40:00
(Taiwan English News/Zhiwei Comprehensive Report) Last year, monkeypox (Mpox) broke out suddenly. The epidemic spread from Africa to Europe, the United States and other countries around the world, making public health officials break out in a cold sweat, fearing that it would become the next wave of pandemic. Fortunately, following various countries implemented vaccination and strengthened health and education, the epidemic has slowed down this year and the number of cases has dropped significantly. However, only China is still at its peak. What’s the reason?
Monkeypox is mostly contracted through sexual intercourse and can produce symptoms such as colds, papules, and pustules. In severe cases, it may be fatal. While cases in various countries are gradually declining, China reported 1,000 cases in July and August this year, which was half as much as other regions during the same period. Cases have occurred in 26 of the country’s 31 provinces, and as many as 80% of them have no obvious transmission chain. It is obvious that there are many invisible cases.
EconomistHe pointed out that the reason why the development of the monkeypox epidemic in China runs counter to that of other countries is inseparable from xenophobia, discrimination and conservative mentality.
In September last year, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said bluntly on Weibo, “Don’t have direct skin contact with foreigners.” This triggered heated discussions and criticism of racial discrimination. In addition, although the World Health Organization (WHO) urges high-risk groups and medical personnel to get vaccinated, just as foreign COVID-19 vaccines have been slow to gain access, China has not approved foreign Mpox vaccines, and domestic vaccines are still being tested. stage, the epidemic cannot be suppressed.
An overly conservative attitude is also a problem. Since most of the people infected with the epidemic are men who have sex with men, while gay groups in other countries have stepped up their epidemic prevention propaganda and urged gay people to get tested, China has done its best to suppress them over the years, viewing such organizations as sabotaging citizens. A morally and politically stable group. Official guidance also states that monkeypox poses no significant risk to “general people.”
Discussions related to Mpox on Chinese social software are often filled with “anti-gay” remarks. It is no wonder that fewer and fewer gay or bisexual men are willing to disclose their sexual orientation to doctors, making it more difficult to obtain the necessary medical advice. Relevant authorities previously claimed that only men would be infected with the disease, but in August this year they announced five cases of women, which is nothing short of a slap in the face. Some netizens added fuel to the fire, saying that these women were definitely deceived into marriage by gay men.
Reports say China’s current response to monkeypox is reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic. In the 1980s, Chinese officials described HIV as a foreign problem caused by promiscuous Western lifestyles. It was not until the 1990s that many people contracted AIDS from selling plasma, and officials began to launch a nationwide epidemic prevention campaign.
Fortunately, official thinking on monkeypox seems to be changing. On September 20, China reclassified Mpox as an infectious disease at the same level as HIV, a move that is expected to free up more epidemic prevention resources. Also last month, Wu Zunyou jointly wrote a letter to the medical journal “The Lancet” warning that if the regional infection situation is not quickly controlled, it will intensify the pace of global spread and recommended that China start vaccination.
It’s not too late to make amends.
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