An area of skin tissue taken from a lesion on the skin of a monkey that was infected with the monkeypox virus is seen at 50-fold magnification on the fourth day of the rash in 1968.
CDC | Reuters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday warned gays and bisexuals that monkeypox is spreading in communities around the world, warning people to take precautions if they have been in close contact with someone who may have the virus and be alert. for symptoms.
Dr. John Brooks, a CDC staffer, stressed that anyone can be infected with monkeypox through close personal contact, regardless of sexual orientation. However, Brooks said many of the people affected around the world are men who identify themselves as gay or bisexual. While they may be more likely to catch monkeypox, that doesn’t mean the risk is limited to gays and bisexuals, he said.
“We want to help people make the most informed decisions to protect their health and the health of their society from monkeypox,” Brooks said.
Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease that is usually transmitted through semen or vaginal fluid, but can be transmitted through sexual and intimate contact, as well as through shared bedding. The virus is spread through contact with body fluids and wounds, Brooks said. “It’s important for doctors and people to be aware of the symptoms associated with monkeypox, especially anal or genital lesions that can be confused with herpes, syphilis or chickenpox,” he said.
Any person who has a rash or lesion around or involved in their genitals, anus or any other place they have not seen before should be fully examined, both for this rash but especially for sexually transmitted infections. and other diseases that can cause rashes, ”Brooks said.
According to Dr. Jennifer McQueston, a CDC staffer, the U.S. has confirmed one case of monkeypox in Massachusetts and four cases of orthosis in New York, Florida and Utah. Public labs have tests to identify orthopedics that are thought to be monkeypox, but they need to be sent to the CDC in Atlanta for further analysis to confirm the diagnosis, McQueston said.
Cases found in the U.S. are a milder West African strain, McQiston said. Most people infected with the virus recover in two to four weeks without special treatment, she said.
Unusually, though unheard of, cases of monkeypox occur outside of several countries in West and Central Africa. Nigeria has seen a surge in cases in recent years, but cases in Europe and North America over the past two weeks have no recent history of travel to Nigeria or another country where the virus is common, McQueston said.
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