“At the moment, I don’t think there is enough information to fully classify it. I think I have some suggestions, but more research needs to be done,” Adalja said.
“There are other infections that are spread other than sexually, such as syphilis,” he said. “The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease, but it can also be spread sexually. My question is to clarify what is happening from a physiological point of view before making such claims. It is to do.”
Some experts argue that classifying monkeypox as a sexually transmitted disease is not only misleading, but may be harmful to public health.
“The downside of suggesting that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease is that people who don’t have sex immediately think, ‘OK, I’m not going to get it,'” he said. Dr. Saju Mathew, an Atlanta-based primary care physician and public, said. health specialist.
“A lot of people think it’s like herpes or gonorrhea or chlamydia, which means you have to have sex to get it. That’s not true. So it’s only through sexual transmission. “It’s dangerous to suggest that it’s only contagious. That’s misinformation.” “It is most often transmitted through sex, but it is not only transmitted through intimate contact. It can also be transmitted through non-intimate contact.”
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said he and his colleagues for now refer to monkeypox as a “sexually-related” infection.
“Currently available data show that the primary mode of transmission is sexually-related, i.e., contact of a sexual nature. It is defined as the exchange of genital fluid containing genital fluid that is associated with sexually transmitted infections,” Harvey said. “We need science to clearly show that this is an infection that can be passed by semen or genital fluids, but the science around it is still unclear. So we’re trying to identify this as sexually relevant.” I call it.”
Causes of STDs
STDs, also known as sexually transmitted infections or STIs, are infections that are passed from person to person through sexual contact, such as vaginal, oral or anal intercourse. In some cases, these infections can also be spread through close skin-to-skin contact, like herpes or his HPV.
Kristen Nordlund, a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN in an email on Monday that “there is no formal process for classifying infections as STIs or STDs.” Scientifically determine if you can be infected, in which case it is called “sexually transmitted”. Also, the frequency with which an infection is referred to as a sexually transmitted disease is related to the proportion of sexually transmitted and other routes of transmission, but there is no “rubric”. used to guide this decision. ”
She said monkeypox could more accurately be described as a “sexually transmitted disease.”Sex is one way the virus can be spread, but not the only way.
“Sexual activity is a human activity. If stigma was not associated with sexually transmitted infections, there would be less concern associated with saying that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease in the more severely affected populations. will be,” wrote Nordland. “It’s also important to look at this issue globally. Remember, the meaning of this label varies depending on where you are in the world. For example, there are countries where homosexuals are punished by prison or the death penalty. Infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases can have far-reaching consequences in these countries.”
The monkeypox virus can be spread by skin-to-skin contact, direct contact with the monkeypox rash or scabs of an infected person, or direct contact with respiratory secretions. Scientists are still studying whether monkeypox spreads through semen or vaginal fluids.
The risk is low, but the potential is there as well. The virus is spread through clothing, bedding, towels, and other items and surfaces used by monkeypox patients.
Mathew says that skin lesions caused by monkeypox infection can actually be mistaken for common STDs such as herpes or syphilis, and in some cases monkeypox patients overlap with common sexually transmitted diseases. He said he could be infected.
When Matthew treated the first monkeypox patient in Atlanta, he immediately noticed the typical lesions on the patient’s face. But the 25-year-old man also had hip pain, Matthew said. “In addition to monkeypox, he contracted another sexually transmitted disease,” which was herpes.
Mathew added that about 25% of monkeypox patients in the United States are co-infected with STDs.
“When you diagnose monkeypox, you need to test for monkeypox, but you also need to do various other STI tests to make sure they are ruled out or diagnosed,” Harvey said. There is.”
“We just happen to have the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections in the United States, basically the highest in U.S. history. It is not surprising that it is being done,” he said. “Anecdotally, we’re hearing from some clinics around the country that they’re seeing 15% to 40% rates of co-infection with other sexually transmitted infections, but currently there’s no national data on that. There is none.”
CDC’s clinical guidance tells health care providers: “
Fighting stigma
“The virus is spreading among close contacts and sexual networks within the gay, bisexual, and other male communities who have sex with men. We’ve also seen domestic spread with cases in , women, and children, the latter most likely to be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact between parents and children, but transmission through environmental pollution is also possible,” said Farley. writes Mr.
“If you look at how the response to AIDS, for example, has played out, it took the heterosexual community almost a decade to pay attention and realize that HIV is not a gay disease,” he said. is writing “We cannot allow the same form of inaccurate information to guide public health today.”
Harvey of the National Coalition of STD Directors said stigma is something STD clinics fight every day and he’s worried about. On the stigma attached to monkeypox outbreaks in the context of being a sex-related disease.
“I don’t want people to dismiss this as a sexually transmitted disease, but on some level, this comes with embracing the stigma of a sexually transmitted disease,” he said. For those of us who work and deal with these issues every day, we want to do everything we can to break down the stigma, especially related to sexually transmitted diseases, and to get people tested without shame or fear. so that it may be received and treated.”
Overall, whether monkeypox is designated an STD or not, Harvey said the response to the outbreak has put STD clinics under pressure.
“STIs and sexually transmitted disease clinics across the country are currently under the brunt of meeting testing and treatment needs and do not have the additional funding to handle the influx of patients. STD testing and care have already been suspended,” Harvey said.
Also, 65% of clinics needed to change workflows to manage monkeypox, such as moving from walk-in clinics to appointments only, and 22% said they needed to change other STIs to prioritize monkeypox services. There was a need to reduce symptomatic or asymptomatic screening.
“There is a lack of additional funding and federal funding that could directly support these programs,” Harvey said. Said. “These programs require support for supplies, testing and testing costs. Additional staff time and other types of capacity are required to support the response to this outbreak.”
Source: www.cnn.com
