Kairi brown 
Are gay and bisexual men at an increased risk of contracting monkeypox?
Does gay and bisexual men have a risk of increasing monkeypox? The medical world seems to be divided into this matter. “Gay men are at higher risk because fluid exchange occurs with MSM [men who have sex with men],” said Dr. Laxman Jessani, a specialist infectious disease in Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai.
The majority of people who contract Monkeypox are gay men. But not everyone infected with gay. “The possible route from the spread of diseases includes droplets and transmission of contact regardless of sexual transmission,” explained Dr. Dipu T.S., Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases in Amrita Hospital, Kochi.
Dr. Sanjith Saseedharan, Consultant and Head, Critical Care, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim, said that Monkeypox is not STD. “Even a crowded concert or work environment with close contact with an affected individual can cause disease in people who are not affected. This is a disease that might spread similar to Covid because of closeness and sharing of sheets and clothing, which is basically referred to as the spread of fomite, “he said.
Monkeypox has been around since 1970. Most common in Central and Western African countries. Every case reported outside Africa is traced back to someone in Africa or through several sources of contact with animals that are exported/imported through African countries, said Dr. John Paul M., consultants in tropical medicine and infectious diseases in Sparsh Hospital, Bengaluru . “The difference in cases today is that they cannot track contact/origin. This is the main cause of concerns and obtaining endemicity in other countries.”
The current transmission mode is mainly based on contact, he said. Usually spread through direct or indirect contact. “Direct contact can be through prolonged contact with active monkeypox lesions or through the release of lesions that spill to other people who are related. Indirect contact can be through when someone shares a bed or clothing used by someone already infected. These are two ways of transmission, “Paul said.
There is no strong evidence to directly associate whether gay men have a higher risk of contracting disease. “The way of transmission can be the reason behind the increase in the monkeypox incident among this group. However, cases reported in India did not show that this was dominant among gay men, “he said.
In Africa, Monkeypox is more common among the gay community. But that does not mean the disease can be surrounded. Dr. Jayanta Thakuria, senior consultant and unit head, internal medicine and rheumatology, at the Accord Super Speciality Hospital, Faridabad, believe in sexual relations – both among gay or normal pairs – can cause the spread of monkeypox when people touch each other.
Dr. Bunda M.S., Consultant, Internal Medicine at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru agreed. “Viruses can spread through intimate contact such as sex or touching the genitals or anus of someone with monkeypox, hugging, massaging, and kissing out of sex. Therefore, it is advisable for people to consider minimizing sex with many or anonymous couples,” he said .
According to the latest data, Monkeypox has spread in more than 60 countries and more than 16,000 cases have been reported. Labeling the disease as a STD (sexually transmitted disease) can result in an increase in stigmatization of infected people. Fear of stigma can cause people not to report infections, especially in developing countries. “This can again cause the spread of disease by weakening detention steps which are largely dependent on identification, search and isolation search. As a disease that spreads mainly through sexual transmission until further evidence develops, “Dipu said.
