Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press
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LGBTQ community activists fear that some stigmatization of gay and bisexual men in the monkeypox outbreak poses a threat to public health.
Health authorities are investigating nearly 30 confirmed cases of “monkey pox” in Canada, part of an unprecedented outbreak of this rare disease that rarely spreads outside of Africa. Serious complications of the disease can occur in very rare cases, state public health authorities.
Twenty-five infections had been confirmed Thursday in Quebec since May 12, all in the greater Montreal area. Another case has been confirmed in Ontario, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Thursday, predicting that number will increase in the coming days.
However, public health in Quebec clarified that the vast majority of cases affected “adult men who have had close and prolonged sexual relations with other men”.
Doctor Geneviève Bergeron, head of infectious diseases at Montreal public health, hammered on Thursday that “our enemy is the virus, not the people who are sick”. She specified that “stigma is counter-productive in our public health objectives”, which aim above all to get people to seek treatment.
Le specter du VIH-sida
But for some members of LGBTQ communities, this smallpox outbreak raises the specter of the stigma that scapegoated gay and bisexual men during the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s.
Others, on the other hand, argue that the early detection of smallpox cases by sexual health clinics demonstrates how the LGBTQ community has been able to mobilize to promote safe practices, avoiding shame.
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer said at a press conference on Thursday that he was aware of the potential for stigma and discrimination in the case of smallpox – while recalling that the method of spreading the virus was not limited not to a specific group or sexual orientation.
But as the first epidemiological data suggest that the virus is currently circulating in certain communities, the authorities are trying to sensitize people at high risk of exposure, doctor Howard Njoo explained with great caution on Thursday.
Evidence of evolution?
The disease can be contracted through close contact with a sick person, including — but not limited to — sexual intercourse, Dr Njoo said. Scientists are still working to determine how the virus crosses borders.
Aaron Purdie, director of the community health organization Health Initiative for Men in British Columbia, fears the spread of fear and stigma poses a greater threat than the disease itself. “Stigma spreads like a virus,” he said. Yes, it is treatable. Yes, it is manageable. But it still spreads.”
Purdie believes stigma can be a major barrier to effective disease prevention and treatment, especially for gay men who have experienced systemic discrimination in the healthcare system.
Dane Griffiths, director of the Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance of Ontario, believes that silence tends to perpetuate stigma. One of the best strategies to combat it, therefore, he says, is to provide accurate and timely information without “sowing shame or laying blame”.
The rapid identification of cases of monkeypox among men who have sex with men is a testament to the success of community-led efforts to improve access to testing and sexual health care, he said.
“Gay and bisexual men, all over the world, are showing up in clinics and doctors’ offices, and are therefore being seen and counted,” Griffiths explained. It’s a good thing — and it’s actually to be encouraged within our community.”
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