Preventing the Next Pandemic

LGBTQ+ LEGISLATIVE LEAPS

ISSUES&POLITICS

What to know about Monkeypox, a disease that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation says should be classified as an STI.

COMPILED BY JOHN SOTOMAYOR

In a recent Medium essay as reported by Business Wire, two reputable researchers and medical professionals make a compelling argument for monkeypox to be officially recognized as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). According to AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), labeling the virus as a STI will enable for a better, more precise response to the spreading outbreak and more properly reflect how the new clade or strain of the virus, which mostly affects homosexual men, is transmitted.

“Following the initial and abysmal global, federal, state and local responses to monkeypox, we simply have NO time to waste, we must consider and respond to monkeypox as an STI or STD if we are ever going to get a handle on this virus,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “Thinking of and treating monkeypox as an STD is the best way forward for our collective public health response.”

In the article, the two authors, Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz, MD, Chief Resident Physician, Global Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital and Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD, MPH, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease, Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, note that “…whether human monkeypox constitutes a sexually transmitted infection, and why that would be important, are subject to ongoing debate.” However, they then make a strong case for treating monkeypox as an STI, concluding: “The transmission dynamics of human monkeypox, at least across the United States and Europe, appears to be highly consistent with a sexually transmitted infection. Our public health response, therefore, should incorporate sexual health into its response to the current outbreak, including frank discussion of specific sexual behaviors like condomless anal sex that increase the risk for transmission. At the same time, we must destigmatize both the disease and its route of transmission. Targeted screening among populations with high risk for other sexually transmitted infections may be important strategies for case identification. Finally, further work should evaluate formally the transmissibility of human monkeypox from different bodily fluids through experimental studies and careful epidemiologic analyses with particular attention to the possibility of differing transmission dynamics in different regions of the globe.”

Monkeypox is currently not recognized as a STI, despite the virus having been discovered in the seminal fluid of a few patients in Europe. However, the virus may be passed from person to person through sexual activity via skin-toskin contact.

ABOUT THE AHF The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), is the largest global AIDS organization, currently providing medical care and services to over 1.6 million people in 45 countries across North America, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. Learn more online or check out their podcast, “AHFter Hours.” (ahf. org/ahfter-hours)

aidshealth.org @aidshealth @aidshealthcare

MPOX FAQ Embrace Magazine has compiled the most important data to help you watch for and guard against this rapidly developing virus.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

What is monkeypox?

The CDC describes monkeypox (MPOX) as “a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.” It is a relative to the virus that causes smallpox, variola virus, but is not related to chickenpox.

Prior to 2022, the vast majority of MPOX cases were associated with international travel. There are two known variants, Clade I and Clade II; the 2022 outbreak is Clade II, the less severe variant. It presents as a milder form of smallpox and is rarely fatal.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms can appear five days to three weeks after exposure, and last up to four weeks. They can include:

• An unusual, painful rash or sores. Often starts on the face, or pelvic regions, then spreads to other parts of the body.

• Fever

• Headache, muscle aches, and/or back ache

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Chills

• Exhaustion (fatigue)

Contagiousness begins with the onset of symptoms. The most telltale symptom—rashes and sores—is typically the last to present, meaning many who have contracted MPOX don’t yet know they are contagious.

How does the virus spread?

MPOX is highly contagious, and can be transmitted in a variety of ways, including:

• Skin-to-skin contact, either direct (i.e. touching an infected person’s rash), or indirect (i.e. sharing bedding or towels).

• Respiratory droplets shared through kissing, sharing food or drinks, coughing, sneezing, etc.

• Sex and intimacy, both due to extended periods of close contact, and because common areas for the rash to start are the mouth, groin, genital region, or in and around the anus.

Condoms are not suff icient to prevent MPOX transmission. Condoms may help reduce the likelihood of developing genital sores will not guard against other close-contact forms of transmission.

If you have unusual sores or a rash within a month of last sexual activity, seek immediate medical attention. You may need to isolate for up to 21 days to prevent passing the virus on to others.

Who is at higher risk?

Those with a detectable HIV viral load, immunocompromised individuals, or those with preexisting skin conditions like eczema, symptoms can last longer and be more severe. You also might also be contagious for a longer period of time.

At this time, people living with HIV who are undetectable are not considered at higher risk.

Immunocompromised people may benefit from treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider about any potential drug interactions.

How is the virus treated?

At this time, there are no specific monkeypox treatments, but an antiviral drug called tecovirimat (TPOXX), developed as a treatment for smallpox, may be eff ective thanks to the similarity of the two viruses.

TPOXX is not FDA approved to treat monkeypox. It is currently only used to treat severe cases or high-risk individuals to minimize severity and short- and long-term eff ects. Research to test the eff icacy of TPOXX for all monkeypox cases is currently underway.

SOURCES: CDC.GOV, BHOCPARTNERS.ORG, FLORIDAHEALTH.GOV

Florida Figures

153

The number of new cases reported in Florida this week.

(AS OF SEPT. 15, 2022)

7%

The increase in the number of case reports week over week. That’s a decrease from the previous week's 11%, and a drastic decrease from over the summer when the new infection rate was around 40%.

(AS OF SEPT. 15, 2022)

3 rd

Florida's rank in the quantity of Monkeypox cases. First and second in reports are California and New York, respectively.

(AS OF SEPT. 15, 2022)

782

The number of cases in Miami-Dade County, still the No. 1 County in the state for Monkeypox cases.