To control monkeypox, there is a short window — weeks, not months — in which to vaccinate the most susceptible and to encourage and support self-isolation for those who have symptoms.
The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It’s likely that until about two months ago, many Canadians had not even heard of this disease.
The bad news is that the window is short — a matter of weeks, not months — to vaccinate the most susceptible and to encourage and support self-isolation for those who have symptoms. After that, monkeypox may expand beyond our capacity to control it with the vaccine supply we now have available. What we’re seeing right now in Canada is that monkeypox is primarily affecting men who have sex with men. It’s not yet time to advise everyone to rush out and get a vaccine, but it is certainly time to make sure that those who are in the most affected communities understand the risk of infection, recognize the symptoms and take steps to protect themselves and others.
Lessons from HIV In the 1980s and ‘90s, many people were afraid to get tested because of the stigma attached to HIV, even within the health-care system itself. The world has progressed considerably since then, both in its attitude towards 2SLGBTQ+ people and in the broader understanding of infection.
Monkeypox symptoms are very rarely life-threatening, and include fever, chills, fatigue and muscle pain, followed by a distinctive rash. They typically take about 10 days to emerge after exposure, but can happen anytime between five and 21 days. Infectiousness usually takes two to three weeks to subside after that. Infectiousness ends around the time the hallmark lesions of monkeypox finally scab over and recede.
The Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance, for example, is proving to be a valuable hub for current and helpful information about monkeypox prevention, detection and vaccination, including information about vaccine clinics.
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