Monkeypox

[Guest]

The monkey pox lesions have to come into direct contact with mucus membranes or openings such as cuts and abrasions as happens during sex.  Theoretically someone could rub their eye after touching contaminated surfaces such as bus rails etc but I would hope that anyone with hand lesions would be isolating 😳when I discussed with doctor at 56 Dean street they said  most people are presenting with lesions around the genital area and little if any elsewhere.

[rawTOP]

I think the issue is that the best way for MPX to spread is skin to skin contact with a lesion. Group sex is perfect for in that respect. Add on that young, intrepid, more sexually active guys are at higher risk since the didn’t get any smallpox vaccine as a kid…

MPX on surfaces is less perfect. There may not be enough virus to cause infection. Or exposure to less virus => less severe infection as we see with COVID. 

So I think it’ll tear through the gay community and then unpredictably pop up here and there amongst the straights. 

For us this will be a bit like HIV - either you get it (just once) or you get vaccinated (similar to taking PrEP) and you avoid it. As with COVID any breakthrough infections should be more mild. 

[SpectreAgent]

2 hours ago, rawTOP said:

I think the issue is that the best way for MPX to spread is skin to skin contact with a lesion. Group sex is perfect for in that respect. Add on that young, intrepid, more sexually active guys are at higher risk since the didn’t get any smallpox vaccine as a kid…

MPX on surfaces is less perfect. There may not be enough virus to cause infection. Or exposure to less virus => less severe infection as we see with COVID. 

So I think it’ll tear through the gay community and then unpredictably pop up here and there amongst the straights. 

For us this will be a bit like HIV - either you get it (just once) or you get vaccinated (similar to taking PrEP) and you avoid it. As with COVID any breakthrough infections should be more mild. 

In the UK, the Heath Security Agency has just withdrawn the need to isolate for anyone who’s been in close contact with someone who has MP providing they’re showing no symptoms. Apparently it’s because the most recent evidence here shows that  “only a relatively small number of close contacts have gone on to develop monkeypox themselves.” 
 

I must admit, I was surprised how laidback my consultant was about monkeypox last week when I had my six monthly checkup. 

Edited July 26, 2022 by RawPlug

[rawTOP]

2 minutes ago, RawPlug said:

In the UK, the Heath Security Agency has just withdrawn the need to isolate for anyone who’s been in close contact with someone who has MP providing they’re showing no symptoms. Apparently it’s because the most recent evidence here shows that  “only a relatively small number of close contacts have gone on to develop monkeypox themselves.” 

One of my best friends is going through a pretty painful case of MPX at the moment and his husband has managed to not get it despite being in the same house. Mind you they were both vaccinated (probably right after my friend was exposed). So by now the husband's vaccination is helping him avoid it. Point being - it is absolutely possible to be around someone and not catch it - just depends on the nature of your interaction (and probably a little bit of luck).

[SpectreAgent]

11 minutes ago, rawTOP said:

One of my best friends is going through a pretty painful case of MPX at the moment and his husband has managed to not get it despite being in the same house. Mind you they were both vaccinated (probably right after my friend was exposed). So by now the husband's vaccination is helping him avoid it. Point being - it is absolutely possible to be around someone and not catch it - just depends on the nature of your interaction (and probably a little bit of luck).

Indeed. A mate in Manchester had it a couple of weeks ago following a group session, but only half of them got it. He’s been lucky as it’s been very mild in his case. It had started to clear up after a couple of days. 

[tighthole64]

Recent Florida cases by county.

[NWUSHorny]

My county just reported it's 1st case. I have been told vaccines are being limited to just those with known exposure, so I can't get it. There are 22 cases across the river in the larger county, but it sounds vaccines are still being severely limited there as well. 

I did notice on Friday that 3 of the local Twitter accounts that are primarily into cuddling were claiming they had contracted it, I'm suspecting they probably picked it up at one of their nonsex events that they post about.

[rawTOP]

Here's another thought…

If it's super painful, and especially painful to the touch, then how do guys with MPX transmit it sexually? Wouldn't sex be super painful? OK, maybe the first day or two when the lesions are small they could have sex. But that doesn't explain the huge levels of transmission that we're seeing.

I suspect that there are mild cases that are so mild people don't realize they have it. Since you need a lesion to do the test, all those cases wouldn't be reported, which means massive under-reporting. That would explain the high levels of transmission that we're seeing.

Until there's something like a blood test that can detect it, I don't think we can get a handle on how many active cases there are.

[JamesL100]

It could take time for people infected with MP to develop symptoms. Whilst they are asymptomatic (which I think you allude to) they will go about their normal daily and sexual lives. Once symptomatic many guys online here say their routines are painful and sex isn't on their minds. Not sure of any timescale on this.

[AlwaysOpen]

In the for whats it worth department- as screwed up as Flori-duh!  is and is known for, the county health department in Broward  County (Ft Lauderdale,Wilton Manors, Oakland Park among the cities ) wins 5 gold stars. They offered monkeypox vaccine at the Pride Center 10 days ago- and the available time slots were all taken in an hour! ( the men are being responsible here, to an extent) With the aid of the Wilton Manors city folk, the health department opened up 2 additional monkeypox shot administration sites and the turn out has been  resounding. I went yesterday and the entire process was in and done under 20 minutes, with the follow up shot appointment scheduled as you left. They were also still offering-suggesting men get the Hep A and the meningitis shots if they had not already. And they had covid vax available for those desiring a booster, or 1st or 2nd shot. Orderly, no waits, and totally non judgemental by any of the team; they really do have a desire to stop this in its tracks.

So, my nurse gave me the shot, and honestly I didn't even feel the needle stick, just a little pressure as the vax was injected. 24 hours since, and no sore arm, no side effects, if anything, I actually seemed to have a slight boost of energy yesterday afterwards.  I know guys are lining up for the shot, for those who are reluctant to get the vaccine, please- save yourself from the pain and discomfort ( a bud was telling of one of his friends who had to be admitted to the hospital for IV pain treatment when he developed pox in his anus- any and every movement was a trigger for extreme pain.) 

[NWUSHorny]

I just read about the ring vaccination strategy. Which matches what my county health department appears to be doing.

[think before following links] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ring-vaccination-might-help-curtail-monkeypox-202206062757#

Edited July 26, 2022 by NWUSHorny

[rawTOP]

1 hour ago, JamesL100 said:

It could take time for people infected with MP to develop symptoms. Whilst they are asymptomatic (which I think you allude to) they will go about their normal daily and sexual lives. Once symptomatic many guys online here say their routines are painful and sex isn't on their minds. Not sure of any timescale on this.

Except people with MPX aren't thought to be infectious until lesions form…

Quote

 

Usually, people are only thought to be contagious (infectious) when they have symptoms and until all sores, including scabs, have healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. This can take several weeks. Researchers are still trying to understand if the virus can spread from someone who has no symptoms.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Monkeypox-Questions-and-Answers.aspx

 

 

[NWUSHorny]

27 minutes ago, rawTOP said:

Except people with MPX aren't thought to be infectious until lesions form

It makes me wonder if mildly symptomatic people might getting lesions that are mild enough to be mistaken for acne when they don't occur on sensitive body parts.

[Spunkinmyarse]

1 hour ago, NWUSHorny said:

It makes me wonder if mildly symptomatic people might getting lesions that are mild enough to be mistaken for acne when they don't occur on sensitive body parts.

At the beginning of May, just when we were starting to hear about the first cases of MPX, I had a strange blister on the back of my hand. It didn’t look anything like the horrific pictures of MPX circulating in the sensationalist press at the time, and I thought nothing of it- it didn’t hurt and after a couple of days it scabbed over and went away.  But more recently, I’ve seen pictures of single-lesion MPX on the back of the hand that look exactly like what I had.

Was it monkeypox? I’ll never know for sure, but I suspect it was.  I’m old enough to have had at least one smallpox jab when I was a child, so maybe that’s why it was so mild. I’m sure there are thousands of cases like mine- and that’s why transmission is probably so widespread… guys just don’t even know they’ve got it. If that blister had been on my anus or in my arse, I would never have known at all.

For every case that’s serious enough to get reported, I’m convinced that there are many, many more that don’t.  But without random testing, it’s impossible to gauge the scale of this.

[Guest]

On 7/16/2022 at 10:41 PM, fuckholedc said:

Supposedly sex club events in NYC are closing.  SF Horse Fair scheduled for July 23 has been canceled over monkeypox concerns.

It’s about time these clubs and events began to take action.  IMO all pride events should have been canceled in June.