Houston and Harris County officials said Tuesday they’re striving to get the monkeypox outbreak and the stigma associated with the virus under control before the spread becomes overwhelming.
“HIV/AIDS was underestimated by the public and stigmatized by the community, and by the media, to some extent, because initially, it impacted just a certain population,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “Because it was ignored, because it was stigmatized, it quickly (went) through the other groups, ultimately causing a crisis. This time is different, we have a playbook, we have lessons learned.”
Statewide, there are 231 confirmed cases of Monkeypox with the highest concentration in the Dallas area. In the city of Houston and the Harris County area, there are 57 cases. Monkeypox cases have primarily concentrated among LGBTQ communities, which is leading to some stigma.
Dr. Susan McLellan, an infectious disease expert with UTMB, stresses anyone can get monkeypox through the virus, so far, has spread predominantly among gay and bisexual men and through close skin-to-skin contact such as intercourse. But Monkeypox has not been deemed a Sexually Transmitted Disease.
“Men who have sex with men, there is a community within which frequent sexual contact with new partners occurs. So that’s what it’s taking advantage of,” said Dr. McLellan. “It can certainly go to a woman who has sex with a partner infected just as easy.”
Elia Chino, the Founder and Executive Director of the Fundacion Latinoamericana De Accion Social (FLAS), and health experts stress it’s important for everyone to know how monkeypox is spread and the steps to take should you contract it.
“Once again, it’s the stigma and the stereotypes of the LGBT community,” said Chino.”I think this is the same thing that happened 40 years ago when HIV started and they talked about HIV was only for gay men. That is not true. It is for any human being.”