Monkeypox declared Health Emergency

[Bits_Of_Real_Panther]

The World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a global health emergency. More than 16,000 cases of the viral illness have been reported this year. The alert, the WHO’s highest, was last used in January 2020 with SARS-CoV-2. It is meant to spur countries to establish a spur countries to mount a co-ordinated, international response. Although monkeypox rarely kills healthy adults, it can be dangerous for children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people.

[Canoe]

The World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a global health emergency. More than 16,000 cases of the viral illness have been reported this year. The alert, the WHO’s highest, was last used in January 2020 with SARS-CoV-2. It is meant to spur countries to establish a spur countries to mount a co-ordinated, international response. Although monkeypox rarely kills healthy adults, it can be dangerous for children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people.

Do we know where it came from and how it spreads?

[HangryHippo]

Do we know where it came from and how it spreads?

May I suggest the CDC website? Tons of information answering both of your questions.

[oklip955]

Anyone know how many cases in Oklahoma? at least there is a vaccine for it that works good. Maybe time to order more and more widely distribute.

[kukblue1]

Do we know where it came from and how it spreads?

SEX. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeyp...lth/index.html Really spreading in the gay community

[Canoe]

SEX. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeyp...lth/index.html Really spreading in the gay community

Thank you for posting information. From the link.

If You Have a New or Unexplained Rash or Other Symptoms…
Avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been checked out by a healthcare provider.

So the take away is don't have sex if you have a new rash or flu-like symptoms, go to a doctor instead. That should be easy enough for people to do.

[kukblue1]

Thank you for posting information. From the link.

If You Have a New or Unexplained Rash or Other Symptoms…
Avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been checked out by a healthcare provider.

So the take away is don't have sex if you have a new rash or flu-like symptoms, go to a doctor instead. That should be easy enough for people to do.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...inds-rcna39564 Don't have man to man sex.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/25/who-...mmunities.html

[HangryHippo]

Thank you for posting information. From the link.

If You Have a New or Unexplained Rash or Other Symptoms…
Avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been checked out by a healthcare provider.

So the take away is don't have sex if you have a new rash or flu-like symptoms, go to a doctor instead. That should be easy enough for people to do.

Since you seem incapable of googling the CDC and kukblue1 seems to think it’s a gay disease, here’s a link to the CDC page on monkeypox.

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html

[kukblue1]

Since you seem incapable of googling the CDC and kukblue1 seems to think it’s a gay disease, here’s a link to the CDC page on monkeypox.

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html

It's at least 95 percent a gay disease as of now. So I guess you can say it's not a gay disease but as of right now it's really spreading in the gay community. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/25...-organization/

Highlights from the article: In New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. monkeypox crisis, growth is exponential, but vaccines and clear communication are in short supply. Public health officials keep insisting that anyone can catch monkeypox, cautioning that spread can occur via the air, surfaces, bedsheets, and close contact. That is all technically true, but it muddles the message that sexual transmission is the main avenue for its spread. In Europe, for example, 99.5 percent of known cases are with men, and of the ones whose sexual practices are known, 97.5 percent are with men who have sex with men. In Britain specifically, 99.3 percent of known cases are with men, of whom 96.5 percent were identified as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/95-o...-study-3182159
Here is another story so I will change my statement to it's mostly as gay disease as of now Sorry.

[kukblue1]

https://slate.com/technology/2022/07...nes-worry.html

[kukblue1]

Anyone know how many cases in Oklahoma? at least there is a vaccine for it that works good. Maybe time to order more and more widely distribute.

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeyp...22/us-map.html. There are currently four cases in Oklahoma so everybody freak out panic. In all seriousness I would be much more worried about catching covid then I would monkey pox unless you're sleeping around with everything and everyone. Not saying that you still can't get it but it really is a sexually transmitted disease

[BoulderSooner]

the WHO director went against his advisory panel to declare this a health emergency .. and it is more like 98%+ of cases fall in 1 demo ..

[kukblue1]

Total Deaths world wide 5. Yes all over the world there have been 5 deaths. I heard it's painful though.

[BDP]

What You Need to Know About the History of Monkeypox

[TU 'cane]

Since you seem incapable of googling the CDC and kukblue1 seems to think it’s a gay disease, here’s a link to the CDC page on monkeypox.

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html

See the following quotes below.
Let's not be revisionists here. It's impacting a single community far more than any other and is spreading due to said community's proclivities.
These are facts. This is the science.

It's at least 95 percent a gay disease as of now. So I guess you can say it's not a gay disease but as of right now it's really spreading in the gay community. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/25...-organization/

Highlights from the article: In New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. monkeypox crisis, growth is exponential, but vaccines and clear communication are in short supply. Public health officials keep insisting that anyone can catch monkeypox, cautioning that spread can occur via the air, surfaces, bedsheets, and close contact. That is all technically true, but it muddles the message that sexual transmission is the main avenue for its spread. In Europe, for example, 99.5 percent of known cases are with men, and of the ones whose sexual practices are known, 97.5 percent are with men who have sex with men. In Britain specifically, 99.3 percent of known cases are with men, of whom 96.5 percent were identified as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/95-o...-study-3182159
Here is another story so I will change my statement to it's mostly as gay disease as of now Sorry.

the WHO director went against his advisory panel to declare this a health emergency .. and it is more like 98%+ of cases fall in 1 demo ..

What's the point of the advisory panel then if one man can trump the rest? Is he "smarter" than everyone else on the panel? What was the reasoning behind this?
Hypothetical questions... Unless there are legitimate answers out there.

[David]

Calling this disease a sexually transmitted disease is practically misinformation. It's passed by skin to skin contact which clearly includes sex but could be something as simple as a handshake.

Declaring it an STD is preparing the public to be stupid and uncareful about it.

[jn1780]

Not an STD. Feces most likely contains high concentrations. So wash your hands and be careful around other people's rear ends.

[baralheia]

Calling this disease a sexually transmitted disease is practically misinformation. It's passed by skin to skin contact which clearly includes sex but could be something as simple as a handshake.

Declaring it an STD is preparing the public to be stupid and uncareful about it.

Precisely this. When you try to label it as a "gay disease" and say things like "don't have man to man sex", your prejudices are showing and they are neither helpful nor welcome. Keep in mind this disease is not novel; outbreaks have been observed across Africa since the 1970's, and worldwide since the early 2000's.

The World Health Organization has this to say about human-to-human transmission of Monkeypox:

Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or recently contaminated objects. Transmission via droplet respiratory particles usually requires prolonged face-to-face contact, which puts health workers, household members and other close contacts of active cases at greater risk. However, the longest documented chain of transmission in a community has risen in recent years from 6 to 9 successive person-to-person infections. This may reflect declining immunity in all communities due to cessation of smallpox vaccination. Transmission can also occur via the placenta from mother to fetus (which can lead to congenital monkeypox) or during close contact during and after birth. While close physical contact is a well-known risk factor for transmission, it is unclear at this time if monkeypox can be transmitted specifically through sexual transmission routes. Studies are needed to better understand this risk.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-s...tail/monkeypox

It should also be noted that vaccines and effective treatments for this virus already exist - and if you're old enough to have gotten the Smallpox vaccine, you're already protected.

[TU 'cane]

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/27/monk...ce-spread.html

WHO recommends gay and bisexual men limit sexual partners to reduce the spread of monkeypox
Published Wed, Jul 27 20221:06 PM EDTUpdated 28 Min Ago
Spencer Kimball

Key Points:

- Men who have sex with men are at the highest risk of infection right now from monkeypox, according to the WHO.
- About 99% of cases are among men, and at least 95% of those patients are men who have sex with other men, according to WHO official Rosamund Lewis.
- WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said men who have sex with men should consider limiting their sexual partners to lower their risk of infection and reduce the spread.
- The WHO chief called on media, public health authorities and government to fight stigma and discrimination, which he said will only fuel the outbreak.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended that gay and bisexual men limit their number of sexual partners to protect themselves from monkeypox and help slow transmission of the rapidly spreading virus.

The WHO’s monkeypox expert, Rosamund Lewis, said men who have sex with men are the group at the highest risk of infection right now. About 99% of cases are among men, and at least 95% of those patients are men who have sex with men, Lewis said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it is crucial for public health authorities to engage communities of men who have sex with men to reduce transmission of the virus and take care of those infected, while protecting human rights by fighting stigma and discrimination.

“For men who have sex with men, this includes for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering considering sex with new partners, and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow up if needed,” Tedros said.

Tedros called on social media platforms, tech companies and news organizations to counter harmful information, which he warned will only fuel the outbreak.

“The stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus and can fuel the outbreak. As we have seen with Covid-19 misinformation, and this information can spread rapidly online,” the WHO chief said.

More than 18,000 monkeypox cases have now been reported across 78 nations, according to WHO data. About 10% of monkeypox patients have been hospitalized to manage pain from the disease. Five deaths have been reported in Africa, according to the WHO.

The WHO declared a global health emergency in response to the outbreak over the weekend as cases have rapidly increased. The current outbreak is highly unusual because the virus is spreading widely in Europe and North America, where the virus isn’t normally found. Historically, monkeypox spread at low levels in remote parts of West and Central Africa where rodents and other animals carried the virus.

Europe is the currently the epicenter of the global outbreak, reporting more than 70% of monkeypox cases. About 25% of monkeypox cases have been reported in the Americas, with the U.S. the center of the outbreak in the Western Hemisphere, according to WHO and CDC data.

The U.S. has reported more than 3,500 cases of monkeypox across 46 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. has the second-highest number of monkeypox cases in the world, after Spain.

Monkeypox is primarily spreading through skin-to-skin contact during sex, WHO and CDC scientists have said. Lewis said the virus will have an opportunity to spread more widely if people do not take precautions by limiting the number of sex partners and anonymous sexual contact.

“If there’s no intervention in a circumstance where there’s a lot of skin-to-skin contact on a regular basis, perhaps in the context of multiple partnerships or contact with anonymous partners, then that would be a circumstance, without intervention, where the virus can spread more easily,” Lewis said.

In the past, people infected with monkeypox passed the virus on to less than one other person on average, which is the reason why previous outbreaks did not spread as widely. But Lewis said an individual with monkeypox might be able to pass the virus on to more people now because global immunity has waned as smallpox vaccination has become much less common. Monkeypox is in the same family as smallpox, though it causes milder disease.

Experts have not been able to conclude whether monkeypox represents a new type of sexually transmitted infection, though it is clearly transmissible during sex, according to Andy Seale, an advisor to the WHO who specializes in STIs. It’s also unclear whether condoms would help reduce the risk of infection because monkeypox spreads through close physical contact similar to herpes, Seale said.

“The critical piece is really focusing in on close, intimate personal contact, prolonged contact that happens during sex as the key mode of transmission,” Seale said. Scientists in Spain and Italy detected monkeypox DNA in semen samples from patients, though it’s unclear whether the virus is actually spreading that way.

Though monkeypox is primarily spreading during sex, anyone can catch the virus through close physical contact. This includes hugging and kissing within a family, for example, as well as shared towels or bedding that are contaminated. There have been cases of women and children catching the virus during the current outbreak, though transmission appears to be low in the broader community at the moment.

Monkeypox can also spread through respiratory droplets when infected individuals have lesions in their mouth, though this requires prolonged face-to-face interaction. The outbreak still might be able to contained if people limit their risk of exposure now, Lewis said.

“It’s very important for anyone who has monkeypox to isolate, so that they can protect anyone else living in their household or anyone else they may be in contact with,” Lewis said. “Household transmission is how this was first discovered, and household transmission may in some circumstances begin to occur.”

Most people who catch monkeypox are recovering in two to four weeks, according to the U.S. CDC. But the virus causes a rash that can be very painful. In the past, monkeypox began with symptoms similar to the flu and then progressed to a rash that can spread over the body.

But monkeypox symptoms in the current outbreak have been unusual. Some people are developing a rash first, while others have a rash without any flulike symptoms at all. Many people are developing a localized rash on their genitals or anus.

[kukblue1]

Yep I have canceled all my plans this weekend thanks to members on this board. I'm not going anywhere. Someone might brush up against me and I'll going to end up with monkeypox. Thank you all for saving my life.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/27/monk...ce-spread.html How dear the WHO says not to have man to man sex. Not sure how me saying don't have man to man sex got labeled as saying it was a gay disease, when pretty much everyone else is saying the same thing, but whatever. You people be you.

[David]

Declaring it an STD is preparing the public to be stupid and uncareful about it.

Speaking of.

[BDP]

Yep I have canceled all my plans this weekend thanks to members on this board. I'm not going anywhere.

No one said to do that.

There was just some clarifications on the history of the disease and how it is spread. As with all contagious diseases, there are high risk behaviors associated with it, depending on how it is spread. That does not mean that the virus spreads only by those high risks behaviors and that is certainly not the case with monkeypox, which the history clearly shows.

It's interesting that, after recently living through a pandemic, some can still not grasp that contagious diseases often change, both in who they infect and what health risk they pose to the infected. Campaigning for public health organizations to ignore a disease because it disproportionately affects a certain demographic at a given time is short sighted at best.

Also, there are things in this world that will not affect you, but that doesn't mean they don't need to be addressed by organizations, The WHO and the CDC have public health responsibilities that go beyond you and, especially with the WHO, those responsibilities are not limited to a certain demographic other than the demographic of human beings. In many ways, the reason that monkeypox is currently not affecting you and most likely has not affected you over its 50 or so year history, is because of the work of public health organizations. So, we probably should stop complaining about them and say 'thank you'.

Also, let's not misrepresent what these warnings and declarations from these organizations mean. I don't believe any of them have ordered panic or for everyone to cancel plans and stay indoors. Declaring it an emergency simply calls for communities to prepare and apply the appropriate resources. This can be as simple as information campaigns and monitoring to stay ahead of the disease, so it doesn't become worse than it currently is. I do think it makes perfect sense to examine why the WHO recommendation was unilateral, but I don't know how that organization operates. The bureaucratic questions are valid, imo, but the net effect of the decision is not some catastrophe, nor should it be viewed or represented as a call for panic and shutdowns.

[Canoe]

No one said to do that.

There was just some clarifications on the history of the disease and how it is spread. As with all contagious diseases, there are high risk behaviors associated with it, depending on how it is spread. That does not mean that the virus spreads only by those high risks behaviors and that is certainly not the case with monkeypox, which the history clearly shows.

It's interesting that, after recently living through a pandemic, some can still not grasp that contagious diseases often change, both in who they infect and what health risk they pose to the infected. Campaigning for public health organizations to ignore a disease because it disproportionately affects a certain demographic at a given time is short sighted at best.

Also, there are things in this world that will not affect you, but that doesn't mean they don't need to be addressed by organizations, The WHO and the CDC have public health responsibilities that go beyond you and, especially with the WHO, those responsibilities are not limited to a certain demographic other than the demographic of human beings. In many ways, the reason that monkeypox is currently not affecting you and most likely has not affected you over its 50 or so year history, is because of the work of public health organizations. So, we probably should stop complaining about them and say 'thank you'.

Also, let's not misrepresent what these warnings and declarations from these organizations mean. I don't believe any of them have ordered panic or for everyone to cancel plans and stay indoors. Declaring it an emergency simply calls for communities to prepare and apply the appropriate resources. This can be as simple as information campaigns and monitoring to stay ahead of the disease, so it doesn't become worse than it currently is. I do think it makes perfect sense to examine why the WHO recommendation was unilateral, but I don't know how that organization operates. The bureaucratic questions are valid, imo, but the net effect of the decision is not some catastrophe, nor should it be viewed or represented as a call for panic and shutdowns.

Its pretty easy BDP, if you have a rash just tell your friends, 'I am sorry I can't go out to the club with you today. I have a strange rash and I need to see a doctor.'

I am sure all the proud Oklahomans in Oklahoma City will do what is required to stop the spread of the disease. They are adults and will act like adults.

[HangryHippo]

Its pretty easy BDP, if you have a rash just tell your friends, 'I am sorry I can't go out to the club with you today. I have a strange rash and I need to see a doctor.'

I am sure all the proud Oklahomans in Oklahoma City will do what is required to stop the spread of the disease. They are adults and will act like adults.

Just like with Covid. lulz

[Bill Robertson]

Seems like NYC and other health departments are at least to some extent looking at it as a gay disease or STD.

From KFOR:
"The New York City Health Department, for example, is limiting monkeypox vaccine access to those who are gay, bisexual, and men who are sexually active with men, as well as transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender non-binary persons who are 18 years old or older and had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last two weeks. Those who may have been exposed to monkeypox or are notified by the Health Department due to close contact with someone with the disease are also eligible to get the vaccine."
The article went on to say Austin and Chicago had almost exactly the same requirements and SanFrancisco does also but includes sex industry workers of any orientation or identification status.