Leading Gay Public Health Expert Explains Everything You Need To Know About Monkeypox

Over the course of the last several weeks cases of the monkeypox – a virus out of the genus that is related to smallpox – have emerged in Europe and in the United States.

What is monkeypox? This virus is not deadly, and symptoms include rashes and other skin manifestations. The virus, which can incubate for several weeks, may create challenges for people who are immunocompromised, but most everyone who is infected will manage to reconcile the disease. Additional information on the monkeypox can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html.

Protecting LGBTQ people and populations. To date the cases of monkeypox in the United States have been evident primarily in sexual minority, gay, and bisexual men. To be clear, this is not a gay disease. This is a disease that has placed undue burden on gay and bisexual men. It is incumbent upon us, as a school, to continue to protect the rights of all people and not to use a situation such as this to stigmatize members of the LGBTQ population.

Are vaccines available? The federal government has worked to try to access and provide us with vaccinations from monkeypox. The vaccines are slowly being rolled out throughout the United States and I encourage anyone who is potentially exposed to seek a vaccine. Please visit the New Jersey Department of Health website to access further information about monkeypox and receive updates on when vaccines will be available: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/monkeypox.shtml. I also encourage you to talk to your health care provider about this disease and what you can do to protect yourself from it.

Will the smallpox vaccine protect me? Bear in mind that up to 1972 in the United States, we vaccinated individuals for smallpox. Individuals in my generation who have the smallpox vaccine may have some protection; however, it may not be 100% effective, so please consult with your health care provider, especially if you were born in the United States after 1972.

As we continue to battle COVID-19 and now monkeypox, we must be aware that pathogens such as these will continue to create chaos for us and in our public health system. It is incumbent upon all of us to continue to work diligently to ensure that those in our population, especially those who are most vulnerable, are vaccinated against all these pathogens so that we do not continue to have to combat outbreaks as we’ve seen over the course of the last three years and more importantly as we have seen with the rise of infectious diseases since 1981.

Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH is the Dean and Hunterdon Professor of Public Health, and Health Equity, Rutgers School of Public Health

Follow him on Twitter @DeanPNHalkitis