The first consequence is that people avoid seeking medical care for fear of being identified with a certain group. In practical terms, how does this kind of messaging affect the fight against the current epidemic? With a science-based approach, we will have a much better chance of containing this epidemic. If we allow these kinds of stigmatizing messages to spread and take hold, they will have long-term consequences. We therefore believe that it is incumbent on the media and governments to counter these messages with sound scientific information about the real risks associated with the disease. History has taught us that this kind of stigma is likely to lead to poor public health policies. More on this topic Subscribers only Dozens of cases of monkeypox detected in Europe and the United States
To say that this is a disease that only affects gay men is inaccurate. Certainly, many of the cases that have been reported so far have been in men who have sex with men, but there have been cases in many different types of people. It is not a disease that affects any particular type of person or sexuality.
What we do know at this point is that monkeypox can be transmitted to anyone. It is also remarkable that the ongoing endemic in some African countries never made the headlines before now, only because it did not affect the world's richest countries. On social networks, but also in some media, we are witnessing an attempt to equate monkeypox with the homosexual community and to present it as a disease "of African origin". Why do you find it problematic to point out that most cases of monkeypox have been identified in men who have sex with men? Speaking to Le Monde, the global health specialist explains the risks for the stigmatized group as well as the population in general. Matthew Kavanagh, deputy director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV, is concerned about the stigmatizing rhetoric used in media coverage of the monkeypox epidemic declared in early May. Subscribers only Matthew Kavanagh at a conference in Bangkok, February 14, 2020. When using a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo check the safe search settings where you can exclude adult content sites from your search results Īsk your internet service provider if they offer additional filters īe responsible, know what your children are doing online.'An attempt to equate monkeypox with the homosexual community' will have long-term public health consequencesįor Matthew Kavanagh, deputy director of UNAIDS, stigmatization of a certain group of people is likely to hinder the fight against the current monkeypox epidemic.īy Delphine Roucaute Published on at 03h04, updated at 06h40 on May 27, 2022 Use family filters of your operating systems and/or browsers Other steps you can take to protect your children are: More information about the RTA Label and compatible services can be found here. Parental tools that are compatible with the RTA label will block access to this site. We use the "Restricted To Adults" (RTA) website label to better enable parental filtering. Protect your children from adult content and block access to this site by using parental controls. PARENTS, PLEASE BE ADVISED: If you are a parent, it is your responsibility to keep any age-restricted content from being displayed to your children or wards.
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