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In article <t2fv3v$3jh46$99@news.freedyn.de>
<governor.swill@gmail.com> wrote:

Very happy to see Swallwell fail after his immature ignorant behavior with a Chink whore spy.

Monkey Pox, right on time to give Democrats an excuse to cheat in the next election.

(CNN)Anyone can get monkeypox, but in the latest outbreak, the
virus is predominantly spreading among gay and bisexual men.
Officials noted Monday that most of the people affected reported
some level of sexual activity.

That doesn't mean the virus is sexually transmitted, but
officials say it shows that prolonged skin-to-skin contact is
one of the major ways monkeypox is now spreading.

As of Monday evening, data from the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention shows 1,972 probable or confirmed
monkeypox cases in the US.

As of now, the risk of monkeypox is low, according to the CDC,
but public health experts say there are still things you can do
to protect yourself, especially if you're in the pool of higher-
risk people.

That pool includes men who have sex with men, particularly those
who have had multiple sexual partners in the past two weeks in
an area with known monkeypox cases.

Here's what to know.

How monkeypox spreads
Symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the
monkeypox virus and last two to four weeks.

The virus typically triggers a rash with lesions that can be
extremely painful. The pain may even be enough to push some
people to go to the hospital, but that seems to be rare.

The rash often starts on the face and spreads to other parts of
the body, the CDC says. Some people will also have a fever at
first.

A person with monkeypox can give the virus to others at any
point until their rash has healed, the scabs have fallen off and
they have a fresh layer of skin on the affected area.

The virus transmits primarily though close, skin-on-skin
physical contact, but it can also spread when you touch objects
like sheets or towels that may have been used by somebody with
monkeypox, as well as through close face-to-face interactions
like kissing.

This outbreak is a little different
The latest outbreak looks a little different, according to Dr.
Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS
Prevention.

Monkeypox isn't considered a sexually transmitted disease, but
most people who have gotten it in the US recently report some
level of sexual activity, he said Monday. That can include
penetrative encounters as well as oral sex.

"Some people have had the rash all over their body or different
parts of their body, but there are many who are presenting with
the genital and anal lesions as their first indication of
illness," Daskalakis said. "That sort of speaks for that close
prolonged contact."

The virus may theoretically be transmitted through respiratory
droplets, he said, but the CDC is not seeing that happen in this
outbreak.

"I can't prove how efficient it is. It doesn't seem to be very
efficient. So it's more contact with skin to skin, more than
face-to-face contact.

"But in the harm reduction discussion, it's really important to
say what we know and don't know," Daskalakis said. "It's just
important for folks to know that it's not impossible to transmit
monkeypox that way so they can really adjust behavior as needed."

Parties vs. bars
Scientists are still studying how monkeypox is spreading in this
outbreak, but they say people don't seem to be getting sick
after, say, walking past someone or giving them a hug and
brushing past a lesion on their skin.

"If it's a hug that doesn't necessarily include a shirt, there's
a theoretical risk of transmission there, but that's not what
we're hearing in terms of what's happening with our cases, so
it's lower risk. I can't say zero risk," Daskalakis said.

Rather, it's longer contact that seems to be responsible for
most cases now. "If you were to ask me how long 'long' is, I
can't answer that question, but it seems as if it's possible
that this is not being transmitted by a light brush,"
Daskalaskis said.

A circuit party, a large dance party that can attract thousands
of men and last through a night or weekend, could be one way the
virus spreads. Dancing shirtless at a party that has good
ventilation, without interacting with someone who has visible
lesions, is probably low-risk. If there's an after-party that
leads to sex, that's much riskier.

In enclosed spaces such as back rooms, saunas or sex clubs, or
at sex parties where there's often anonymous contact with
multiple partners, there may be a higher likelihood of spreading
monkeypox, the CDC says.

A typical gay bar where people go to hang out is different.
"Socializing is a part of what [LGBTQ people] do. So I don't
think that it's something that we stop. It's just sort of
important to have awareness how monkeypox transmits and you're
aware of your own risk and how to mitigate that risk,"
Daskalakis said.
How to protect yourself

Researchers are also investigating whether the virus can be
spread by someone who has no symptoms, or through semen, vaginal
fluids and fecal matter, according to the CDC.

The CDC says that wearing a condom may help, but alone, it
probably will not protect against the spread of monkeypox.
However, the agency still emphasizes that condoms can prevent
other sexually transmitted infections.

There is a vaccine to protect against monkeypox, but demand for
it far outstrips supply.
One thing people can do to protect themselves until the supply
improves is to avoid contact with those who are clearly
infected, especially close face-to-face contact like kissing.

"In line with our harm reduction guidance, thinking about
reducing your number of partners, potentially trying to avoid
anonymous contacts ends up being smart from the perspective of
decreasing the risk of exposure," Daskalakis said.

The CDC says people might want to reduce skin contact as much as
possible by having sex with clothes on or after covering areas
where the rash is present.

If you choose to have sex with someone who has monkeypox or who
might have been exposed to it, talk about the virus ahead of
time.
Officials also say to keep in mind that their advice could
change as scientists learn more. It may change if monkeypox
starts to spread through other contact, such as when people live
closely together in places like homeless shelters or when people
play full-contact sports.

"I think the most important thing is that it's good to have
awareness and some level of worry about some of these things,
but it's not paralysis," Daskalakis said. "Realistically
speaking, skin-on-skin contact of any variety theoretically can
transmit monkeypox, but what we're seeing is, you kind of have
to work at it a bit."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/18/health/monkeypox-lgbtq-
safety/index.html

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