LGBTQ Groups Respond to Monkeypox Emergency
metroweekly.comThe hope is that the declaration will inspire rapid and focused actions to help stem the virus before it becomes endemic to areas where it has traditionally not been found.The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox in the United States has exceeded 6,600, and many local health departments appear to be unprepared to deal with the outbreak, lacking an adequate number of tests to diagnose the disease, vaccines to prevent it, and medication to treat those already infected.
Several localities, including the District of Columbia, have begun rationing vaccine supplies, seeking to get as many people as possible vaccinated with the first of two shots while postponing the second shot.While anyone can become infected with monkeypox, nearly 99% of all cases in countries where the disease is not endemic have occurred among men who have sex with men.
While not technically considered a sexually transmitted disease, monkeypox is generally spread through close or prolonged skin-to-skin contact.
Many patients have reported they became infected through sex.Monkeypox, also known as MPV, can also be spread through fomites, or objects, such as sheets, bedding, towels, or articles of clothing that have touched monkeypox lesions.
