As with all viruses, it’s not only our duty to understand how narratives about them shape our public understanding of them, it’s important to find out all that we can about the virus, as well.
Monkeypox belongs to the same virus of families as smallpox and was first discovered among lab monkeys in 1958. The first case in humans was diagnosed 12 years later in 1970. Person-to-person exchange of the virus can occur through respiratory droplets during “prolonged face-to-face contact,” according to NBC News. Transmission can also occur from direct contact with bodily fluids, lesions or contaminated items including clothing and bedding. In a conference call on Monday, officials at the CDC emphasized that close physical contact led to transmission and disavowed the idea that casual proximity, such as the kind that might happen in a grocery store, could not facilitate transmission. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion for a few days after infection. Those infected often experience a rash one to three days later. The rash typically begins as small bumps on the skin and progresses to blisters filled with a white fluid.
While some media reports of the current outbreak might tie the spread to gay and bisexual men, it’s important to note that, as recently as 2003, the United States experienced a monkeypox outbreak related to the handling of prairie dogs in mostly midwestern states like Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
There is currently a strategic national stockpile of vaccines for the family of viruses that cause monkeypox, with two different vaccines available, a CDC official named Jennifer McQuiston told reporters on Monday’s conference call. The CDC currently has about 1,000 doses of a two-dose vaccine to prevent monkeypox infection, though they will be building up that stockpile in the coming weeks. A second vaccine, ACAM2000, is an older smallpox vaccine that holds some potentially significant side effects. Though they have over 100 million doses of that vaccine, McQuiston said, they would be less likely to use that at scale given its side effect profile.
In response to a question from a conference call guest, John Brooks, leader of the CDC’s epidemiology research team, emphasized that anyone can develop and spread monkeypox infection. While a large fraction of those infected in current global outbreak identify as gay or bisexual men, Brooks noted that there is no correlation between the identity and the illness. He also mentioned that the CDC will be working with community partners, including gay community-affiliated apps, to ensure that members of the queer community will be safe during upcoming Pride Month celebrations.
The larger takeaway? Blaming anyone for the spread of something like monkeypox, especially blaming the gay community or gay behavior, is not sound public health. Viruses, after all, don’t discriminate — and when we do, we only create a better environment to facilitate their spread.
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