Proponents warn that the stigma could pose a threat to public health, as a group of cases of monkeypox are a concern in the queer community.
Health authorities are investigating more than two dozen confirmed cases of monkeypox in Canada as part of an unprecedented outbreak of a rare disease that rarely spreads outside Africa.
Twenty-five infections have been confirmed in Quebec and one in Ontario, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Thursday, predicting that the number will rise in the coming days.
Although everyone is susceptible to the virus, groups of men have been reported to have sex with men, officials said.
For some LGBTQ advocates, this raises the specter of sexual stigma that saw gays and bisexual men as scapegoats for the spread of HIV / AIDS in the 1980s. Others say the early detection of monkeypox cases by sexual health clinics shows how the strange community has mobilized to remove shame and promote safe practices.
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer said he was referring to the potential for stigma and discrimination, reiterating that the spread of the virus is not limited to a specific group or sexual orientation.
The disease can be contracted through close contact with a sick person, including but not limited to sexual activity, Dr Howard Nju told a news conference on Thursday. Scientists are still working to determine what drives cross-border transmission of the virus.
But because early signs suggest the virus is currently circulating in certain communities, authorities are working with partners on the ground to raise awareness among people at increased risk of exposure, Nju said.
Quebec officials said both transparency and sensitivity were needed to control the outbreak and provide care for those infected.
“Stigmatization is really a big challenge in controlling this disease, so we are trying to fight it,” Montreal Public Health Officer Dr. Genevieve Bergeron told reporters on Thursday. “It’s important to understand that our enemy is the virus, not the people affected.”
Aaron Purdy, executive director of the Men’s Health Initiative in British Columbia, said he was concerned that the spread of stigma could pose a greater threat than the disease itself, citing the enduring legacy of panic and prejudice over HIV-AIDS in the early years of the epidemic.
“The stigma is spreading like a virus,” Purdy said. “Yes, it is treatable. Yes, it is contained. But it’s still spreading. “
In addition to corrosive social harm, stigma can deter people from accessing testing and treatment because they fear the diagnosis could jeopardize their social status, employment and safety, Purdy said.
These fears are particularly strong among LGBTQ people, given their long history of discrimination against the health care system, Purdy said. It is therefore vital that public health agencies help queer activists, educators and clinicians guide the monkeypox response.
“We all have a trauma from our stories, and the reality is that when something like monkeypox comes along, it scares people,” he said.
“We need to reduce the stigma. Because if we don’t, people are not able to fully express their identity and … (this has the effect downstream to make the community sicker. “
Dane Griffiths, director of the Ontario Gay Sexual Alliance, said the stigma thrives in silence, so one of the most effective strategies to combat it is to provide timely and accurate information without “shame or guilt.”
The Alliance works to do this by sharing the latest developments on the virus, encouraging people to pay attention to the risks and take steps to protect themselves.
Griffiths said hiding the risk the virus poses to the queer community could cause people to leave vigilance.
“I don’t want this to be an opportunity for the community to rule that out,” Griffiths said.
Instead, the queer community should be commended for helping authorities track the spread of the virus by testing in sexual health clinics in such large numbers, which could be a factor in identifying so many cases in men who have sex with men, Griffiths said.
“There are homosexuals and bisexual men who appear all over the world in clinics and doctors’ offices and are examined and therefore counted,” Griffiths said. “This is a good thing and should actually be encouraged in our community.”
More than two years after the pandemic, University of Toronto bioethicist Kerry Bowman said he hopes people have realized that infectious diseases do not discriminate on the basis of identity, so we do not see a resurgence of stigma and bigotry permeating our initial responses. both COVID-19 and HIV-AIDS.
“It’s kind of a litmus test to see if we’ve moved forward as a society, if we’re able to look at the disease without … the cruelty of stigma on people,” Bowman said.
– with files from Jacob Silver in Montreal
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 27, 2022.
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