In Georgia, the first case of monkeypox was reported in early June 2022. Now there are 625 confirmed cases and counting.
But according to Dr. Cherie Drenzek, an epidemiologist at the Georgia Department of Public Health, these numbers are “most certainly an undercount”. The reason behind this belief is the fact that the epidemiologist noted the total number of confirmed cases has blown up exponentially over a considerably short period. “Four weeks ago, the total number of cases of monkeypox globally at that time was 1,500, which I thought was tremendous. We're up to 9,600 globally.”
“Public health and other government officials must act quickly to ramp up testing capacity and vaccine distribution. They also need to be intentional with vaccine distribution & testing, prioritizing how to reach Black & Brown gay and bi+ men & transgender women, especially those individuals living with HIV" -Jay Brown, HRC Senior Vice President of Programs, Research, and Training.
The most concerning issue about these cases is not just the fact that they are being under-reported, but that monkeypox is disproportionately affecting black MSM (men who have sex with men).
Why is Monkey Pox Prevalent Among MSM?
More than half of the monkeypox cases reported are from non-Hispanic and Black men, with the majority of the cases also arising from MSM. These statistics indicate that black gay men in Atlanta are bearing the brunt of this infection.
Several news outlets have been accused of encouraging “homophobia and racism” through the coverage of this disease. Some language has been believed to attribute blame to Africans and the LGBTQIA+ community in general.
Such coverage is unhelpful, if not harmful.
Marginalized groups are often blamed collectively for situations that the majority of them have no responsibility for. With latent fear and suspicion of such groups, these claims often lead to unnecessary violence, hysteria, and a destructive erasure of facts.
Mathew Kavanagh from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS warns “Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify causes, and encouraging ineffective punitive measures,”.
However, on the other polar end of the discussion, knee-jerk reactions to any kind of monkeypox news mentioning minorities have led to poor coverage. Even worse, few to no resources are being distributed to control the disease.
Although problematic coverage of monkeypox must be called out, no coverage of the disease is going to adversely affect communities that have already lost so much. LGBTQ+ health has been ignored one too many times.
Not Enough is Being Done
“Public health and other government officials must act quickly to ramp up testing capacity and vaccine distribution. They also need to be intentional with vaccine distribution and testing, prioritizing how to reach Black and Brown gay and bi+ men and transgender women, especially those individuals living with HIV,” says Jay Brown, HRC Senior Vice President of Programs, Research, and Training.
“We’ve seen historical and systemic discrimination when it comes to delivering effective prevention and treatment to these members of our community. As we have learned many times, a public health response that does not center [on] equitable care and treatment is a failed response.”
Marginalized communities in densely populated areas like Chicago have a higher risk of contracting monkeypox. Yet these people have the least access to vaccines and healthcare.
Why All Americans Should Be Concerned About Monkeypox
Although monkeypox cases are more prevalent within limited communities at the moment, it is a highly infectious disease.
Monkeypox is spread through close, intimate, skin-to-skin contact, and shared clothing, bedding, towels, silverware, and even dishes. It is not exclusively spread through sexual contact. This is why condoms may help, but not entirely.
There is no “Atlanta Monkeypox” or “Black Monkeypox”: this disease can eventually affect all Americans.
Monkey Pox Symptoms and Prevention
Seek urgent healthcare if you exhibit the following symptoms:
● Fever and body aches. These are the first symptoms.
● Rash that becomes raised and filled with pus.
Symptoms appear in 6 to 13 days but can take as long as 3 weeks after exposure to show clear signs. The symptoms can last for 2-4 weeks. If you have these signs, avoid movement and ensure you are checked by a certified health professional.
You can stay safe from monkeypox by:
● Avoiding close contact with others, including sexual contact
● Covering any lesions or ruptured skin, and avoid contact with others’ lesions and raptured skin
● Wearing a face mask