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Author: Santiago Perez Patrigeon, Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Queen's University, Ontario
Recent Monkeypox Worldwide The epidemic, which has now been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization, sadly means that society continues to stigmatize and discriminate against the LGTBQ2SA+ community. One reason. This is because it has been suggested that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Monkeypox began as a zoonotic disease (an infectious disease transmitted by contact with animals). However, close relatives of this variola virus (which causes smallpox) can also be transmitted from person to person, primarily through direct contact with skin lesions.
Transmission via semen or vaginal secretions has not yet been proven, but apparently involves close contact and can be transmitted during sexual intercourse.
Cases have been identified for decades, primarily in West African countries, but international attention came when cases appeared in Europe and the Americas. cases continue to rise in
A good study compiled a series of 500 patients spread across 16 countries. Researchers analyzed patient demographics and clinical characteristics. They found that 98% of his cases were men who prefer sex with men (MSM). Of note, 41% of the cases were People Living with HIV (PLWH).
Lesion features
Another finding was the lesion features. Monkeypox presented primarily with skin lesions on the face, trunk, arms, and legs, but most of the cases reported during this pandemic presented with different symptoms. , with lesions on the perineum (73%), genitals, and even around the mouth.
This may be consistent with sexual transmission, as lesions appear at the site of infection, a clinical course also described in this Spanish paper. Thirty percent of patients also have another, more common STI, such as gonorrhea or syphilis, a frequent pattern in many STIs. Managing patients with STDs always means excluding other STDs.
It is useful for physicians to group diseases by route of transmission. This is because you can mentally list the possible causes when faced with a certain case. This is called differential diagnosis.
When a patient presents with a genital lesion, the provider develops a list of possible diagnoses based on lesion characteristics, accompanying symptoms, and local epidemiology. This allows the most likely causes to be treated empirically (before confirming the diagnosis).
What are STDs?
Any disease that is passed from person to person through bodily fluids during sexual intercourse is considered a sexually transmitted disease. However, some diseases, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, fall into this category because they occur more frequently than others.
It is not considered an STI by the medical community. For example, Ebola has been shown to be transmitted through genital secretions, but is not considered within the group of more frequent STIs as it is not the primary mode of transmission.
The mode of presentation of monkeypox during this global outbreak has led the medical community to recommend other sexually transmitted genital, perianal, or oral.
Considering monkeypox as her STI seems logical in confronting the current outbreak, but the stigma and discrimination it causes is a major problem. Sexually transmitted infections cause feelings of guilt and fear of social rejection. STDs are still viewed by many as punishment for certain behaviors.
Moreover, classifying monkeypox as an STI may provide a false sense of security to those who believe they are not at risk. Both stigma and low awareness of risk can hamper efforts to detect cases early, isolate cases quickly, and control outbreaks. Worst of all, the stigma associated with this outbreak harms his LGTBQ2SA+ community.
Since monkeypox is behaving like a sexually transmitted disease during this pandemic, including this diagnosis as part of sexual health care is an important step in stopping transmission. It may be beneficial, but greater efforts are needed to address stigma and discrimination.
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Santiago Perez Patrition does not work for, consult with, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or organization that benefits from this article. Is not ... academic appointment.
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This article is reprinted from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available at the original site. Read Original Article: https://theconversation.com/treating-monkeypox-like-an-sti-may-help- https://theconversation.com/treating-monkeypox-lik