Monkeypox

[ainsworth74]

OK, "it's more common in the gay community to have multiple partners than in straight people". Largely because fewer gay people settle down with a family.

Definitely going to need a source for that one! Sounds a bit iffy to me otherwise!!

 

[Bayum]

I worry a little that the push towards boxing in Monkeypox as now being transmitted sexually risks distracting us from other potential routes of transmission - skin to skin contact again being a particular risk during summer as we see busy festivals, gay pride events, even crowded trains - and also can't help but feel the immediate go to if something is circulating primarily within gay men that it must be doing so via sexual transmission which feels in part driven by an unfair prejudice. What if the poor guy who passed it on first had gone to a 'straight' dance music rave rather than a gay party; we may well have seen this going in completely different circles.

I think we'll see in the coming weeks whether this turns into something or nothing. It could fizzle out of its own accord.

Anything I’ve seen relating to Monkeypox via THT or Grindr has emphatically stated that it is NOT sexually transmitted, but rather it is the close, intimate contact.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Definitely going to need a source for that one! Sounds a bit iffy to me otherwise!!

I've no idea where one would find such a source! But being part of that community it is certainly my observation.

There isn't after all a straight Grindr. Tinder is a slightly different game, not being aimed at "hookups".

 

[ainsworth74]

I've no idea where one would find such a source! But being part of that community it is certainly my observation.

There isn't after all a straight Grindr.

Hmm seems dubious to me to be quite honest but I'm on the outside looking in so not especially qualified to comment from personal experience!

 

[najaB]

There isn't after all a straight Grindr. Tinder is a slightly different game, not being aimed at "hookups".

Having had conversations with several friends who use Tinder, I'd say there are as many people on there looking for hookups as there are for relationships.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There isn't after all a straight Grindr. Tinder is a slightly different game, not being aimed at "hookups"

Oh, my sweet summer child! Bless you!

Tinder is very much aimed at hookups and casual flings. They may have toned their advertising down a bit post-C19 but so called "hookup culture" has been a huge part of that app's success. Any attempt to distance from that is just window-dressing.

 

[Mojo]

Oh, my sweet summer child! Bless you!

Tinder is very much aimed at hookups and casual flings. They may have toned their advertising down a bit post-C19 but so called "hookup culture" has been a huge part of that app's success. Any attempt to distance from that is just window-dressing.

And of course Tinder is not restricted to straight people either.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And of course Tinder is not restricted to straight people either.

It's indeed not. But even if I was being a bit naive about Tinder (not used it myself other than for a quick play with it) I think it has a definite different "feel" from Grindr.

 

[najaB]

It's indeed not. But even if I was being a bit naive about Tinder (not used it myself other than for a quick play with it) I think it has a definite different "feel" from Grindr.

I don't use it myself, but among my friends more use it for finding a potential bedmate than soulmate.

 

[headshot119]

It's indeed not. But even if I was being a bit naive about Tinder (not used it myself other than for a quick play with it) I think it has a definite different "feel" from Grindr.

Tinder is very much part of a "hookup" culture, yes people do find long term relationships on it, but so do people on Grindr.

 

[matacaster]

This sounds more like scientists and public health types who missed out on the celebrity associated with covid seeing another opportunity to advance their careers!

 

[najaB]

This sounds more like scientists and public health types who missed out on the celebrity associated with covid seeing another opportunity to advance their careers!

I don't see how you could reach that conclusion given that almost every scientist and public health type who has commented on Monkeypox has basically said "This is nothing to be worried about. Don't go to West Africa, wash your hands and avoid close contact with anyone who might be infected."

 

[superalbs]

I don't see how you could reach that conclusion given that almost every scientist and public health type who has commented on Monkeypox has basically said "This is nothing to be worried about. Don't go to West Africa, wash your hands and avoid close contact with anyone who might be infected."

Of course the usual Ding is getting all hyped about it.

 

[AlterEgo]

This sounds more like scientists and public health types who missed out on the celebrity associated with covid seeing another opportunity to advance their careers!

No it doesn’t. The science/public health community has been very low key about monkeypox. This thread went dead for ages as there was nothing new to talk about.

 

[brad465]

Looks like the title of this thread will have to be changed soon:

Monkeypox to get a new name, says WHO

There is an urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising name, scientists agree.

www.bbc.co.uk

The World Health Organization says it is working with experts to come up with a new name for monkeypox.
It comes after more than 30 scientists wrote last week about the "urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising" name for the virus and the disease it causes.
Continued reference to the virus as African is both inaccurate and discriminatory, they said.
Some 1,600 cases of the disease have been recorded globally in recent weeks.
While 72 deaths have been reported in countries where monkeypox was already endemic, none have been seen in the newly affected 32 countries, such as the UK.
At the latest count, as of 12 June, there were 452 confirmed cases in England, 12 in Scotland, 2 in Northern Ireland and 4 in Wales.
The World Health Organization says it will hold an emergency meeting next week to determine whether to classify the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern - the highest alarm the UN agency can sound.
The only other diseases this has happened for in the past are Swine flu, polio, Ebola, Zika and Covid.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "The outbreak of monkeypox is unusual and concerning.
"For that reason I have decided to convene the Emergency Committee under the international health regulations next week, to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern."

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe.
Infections are usually mild and the risk to the general population is low, but the UK government has bought stocks of smallpox vaccine to guard against it.
It causes a rash that looks a bit like chickenpox. The virus can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person.
It has not previously been described as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by close contact.
Anyone with the virus should abstain from sex while they have symptoms.

 

[DelayRepay]

Looks like the title of this thread will have to be changed soon:

Monkeypox to get a new name, says WHO

There is an urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising name, scientists agree.

www.bbc.co.uk

I vote for MOPOX-22.

 

[kristiang85]

How is the name discriminatory or a reference to Africa? Monkeys are found all over the world.

And the outbreak seems to have stalled and seems to be easily traced. Not sure why it has to be given global emergency status.

 

[ainsworth74]

How is the name discriminatory or a reference to Africa? Monkeys are found all over the world.

Yes I'm slightly puzzled by that point. Non-stigmatising makes more sense though as calling someone a monkey is often quite derogatory especially when used against a black person so I can see why they might want to find a different name on that basis.

 

[nw1]

Based on the incidences so far, I'm also not sure why it is necessary to pump up the panic right now.

It makes sense to make people aware of the symptoms and how it's spread, yes, but I'm not convinced of the merits of scaring people unnecessarily with alarming public pronouncements such as "global emergency of the highest concern". It might make some people think "it's another Covid" and be frightened to leave the house as a result.

Instead, how about quietly doing research into how it's spread to new countries? That would be far more useful.

 

[najaB]

It makes sense to make people aware of the symptoms and how it's spread, yes, but I'm not convinced of the merits of scaring people unnecessarily with alarming public pronouncements such as "global emergency of the highest concern". It might make some people think "it's another Covid" and be frightened to leave the house as a result.

That isn't a public proclamation, by the way, but a WHO classification. As it says in the BBC article, other disease outbreaks have also reached that level without becoming pandemic - Swine Flu and Zika for example. And that's even assuming that they decide to do so.

 

[Eyersey468]

That isn't a public proclamation, by the way, but a WHO classification. As it says in the BBC article, other disease outbreaks have also reached that level without becoming pandemic - Swine Flu and Zika for example. And that's even assuming that they decide to do so.

To be honest I had never heard of Zika before

 

[brad465]

Oops:

(Apologies can't provide a link as I'm on my phone)

 

[AlterEgo]

Oops:

Wow, what a typo! He means "principal". What a fool. Haha!

 

[johnnychips]

Oops:

(Apologies can't provide a link as I'm on my phone)

Please don’t print stuff like this when I’m drinking coffee as I’ve just spluttered everywhere with laughing.

 

[Domh245]

Oops:

(Apologies can't provide a link as I'm on my phone)

He has at least responded in good humour!

Benjamin Ryan: sorry everybody about the #monkeypox outbreak! I'll do better next time ‍♂️

 

[brad465]

Just when we thought it was out of the news (apart from the above gaffe), the WHO have given Monkeypox its highest alert:

Monkeypox: WHO declares highest alert over outbreak

More than 16,000 cases have been reported from 75 countries, the organisation says.

www.bbc.co.uk

The monkeypox outbreak has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.
The classification is the highest alert that the WHO can issue and follows a worldwide upsurge in cases.
It came at the end of the second meeting of the WHO's emergency committee on the virus.
More than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries, said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
There had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak, he added.
There are only two other such health emergencies at present - the coronavirus pandemic and the continuing effort to eradicate polio.
Dr Tedros said the emergency committee had been unable to reach a consensus on whether the monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a global health emergency.
However, he said the outbreak had spread around the world rapidly and he had decided that it was indeed of international concern.
Too little was understood about the new modes of transmission which had allowed it to spread, said Dr Tedros.
"The WHO's assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where we assess the risk as high," he added.
There was also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remained low for the moment, he said.
Dr Tedros said the declaration would help speed up the development of vaccines and the implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus.
The WHO is also issuing recommendations which it hopes will spur countries to take action to stop transmission of the virus and protect those most at risk.
"This is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups," Dr Tedros said.
Monkeypox was first discovered in central Africa in the 1950s.

 

[kristiang85]

Just when we thought it was out of the news (apart from the above gaffe), the WHO have given Monkeypox its highest alert:

Monkeypox: WHO declares highest alert over outbreak

More than 16,000 cases have been reported from 75 countries, the organisation says.

www.bbc.co.uk

It is quite ridiculous really. 5 deaths in 16,000 confirmed cases (so 1 death in every 3,200 cases) in over 3 months, and it was basically Tedros who decided it should be given this status.

I really fear the day when something pretty horrid actually starts spreading and people just ignore the emergency nature of it, given that everything slightly off now seems to be an emergency.

 

[yorksrob]

Well, I might be oversimplifying, but if you're not bonking anyone, it doesn't appear to be a high risk.

I really fear the day when something pretty horrid actually starts spreading and people just ignore the emergency nature of it, given that everything slightly off now seems to be an emergency.

If something pretty horrid does start circulating, you won't need to wait for the WHO or governments, because people will be frightened into avoiding it themselves.

 

[najaB]

It is quite ridiculous really. 5 deaths in 16,000 confirmed cases (so 1 death in every 3,200 cases) in over 3 months, and it was basically Tedros who decided it should be given this status.

This status is really aimed at the medical community. As noted above, other diseases have had this status previously - e.g. Zikka - and most of the public outside the affected areas never knew about it.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

He has at least responded in good humour!

View attachment 118034

I'm not sure that response helps. Seems like he's apologising for the outbreak rather than the amusing typo!