One of the important agenda items last weekend was a decision taken by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the statements made by the authorities, it was stated that a global emergency was declared for the monkeypox disease, which we have heard frequently recently.
While the concerns about the disease continued, a remarkable exit came from the USA. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine examined infections in 16 countries and reached a striking result. So much so that a very serious 98 percent of the cases between April and June consisted of gay and bisexual men. Moreover, more than 95 percent of these cases were caused by sexual intercourse. The Guardian, one of the world’s largest news sources, while giving this research, “Why don’t we say this so clearly?” statements were included.
“Fear of stigmatizing people has caused an important public health issue to be overlooked”
Between April 27 and June 24, 2022, 75 percent of the cases examined were white, and 41 percent were HIV-infected. Almost all of the cases complained of rashes on their bodies. Commenting on the disease, Dr. Will Nutland states that it is now “time to talk about the why, how and what the consequences are” of this disease. Fears that people will be labeled as gay or bisexual have pushed back talk of the disease, experts say. However, if the situation continues in this way, it is thought that the prevalence of the disease will increase more and more and after a point it will start to be transmitted only by skin contact, not by sexual intercourse.
How to avoid monkeypox or another sexually transmitted disease?
The data show that monkeypox virus is a disease that can be transmitted quickly by sexual intercourse. However, as we all know; Monkey pox is not the only sexually transmitted disease. So what to do?
Of course, we cannot see homosexuality as the source of a disease. However, there is an answer to the question “What to do”; safe coexistence. That is condom use. Considering that sexually transmitted diseases are a ‘threat’ not only in homosexual relationships, but also in heterosexual relationships between men and women, we can say that the use of condoms is much more important than we think.
Although condoms are still seen as a ‘birth control method’ by many people, the number one way to protect against sexually transmitted diseases seems to be using condoms.
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