The homophobic and racist slippage that is sometimes seen in comments about monkey pox, also known as “monkey pox”, can “quickly undermine the fight against the epidemic”, according to officials from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS).
If a large proportion of one hundred or more cases of monkeypox are confirmed worldwide involving gay, bisexual or other men having sex with men, UNAIDS determines that the disease is transmitted by having close interaction. to a sick person and can affect everyone.
The British head of the British Health Security Agency, Susan Hopkins, also carries this oddity. As the UK sees new cases every day, mainly to individuals identified as gay or bisexual or to men who have sex with menhe points out that delivery can be explained by the frequent close contact they may have.
Racist or homophobic attacks create a cycle of fear, causing people to avoid health facilities, limiting the scope of efforts to identify cases of infection and encouraging ineffective enforcement measuresunderlined Matthew Kavanagh, Deputy Director of UNAIDS.
The UN agency – based on a long experience with AIDS – believes this kind of rhetoric can very quickly neutralize science -based and fact -based efforts to fight the disease.
” These stigmas and blame destroy trust and the ability to respond effectively to outbreaks like this. “
At least a dozen countries in Europe, as well as Canada, Australia and the United States have reported cases of monkeypox, a rare disease now mainly seen in West Africa, where it is considered endemic in 11 countries.
Simian pox, a less dangerous cousin of smallpox, which has been eradicated for nearly forty years, first results in a high fever and rapidly evolves into a rash, with the formation of scabs, especially on the face.
There is no cure for this virus infection which usually disappears spontaneously after 14 to 21 days of symptoms.
Source: Radio-Canada