[Closed] Monkeypox

This will be removed before it hits page 2...

Inb4 use of the word gammon

Perhaps the absence of said thread tells you something about the degree to which we were all overreacting last time.

Why is the STW disaster crew tiptoeing round this one? I expected at least a couple of pages by now advocating a paid lockdown for healthy middle class adults while proles in full body condoms brought them their consumer goodies.

🙂

I'm hoping it goes full tilt. Getting a bit nostalgic for the good ol' corona days of paid sabbatical and empty roads. And the Thursday night clapping... remember that? Chris Morris couldn't have written that.

The disaster fappers will be along in a moment, the usual suspects...

The disaster fappers will be along in a moment, the usual suspects…

Aged like fine milk, that one.

Yeah I miss lockdowns. My work and social schedules are packed. All i want to do is sit about at home reading books then go out sometimes to ride the bike.

I knew nothing about the clapping until the first occurrence. Honestly thought it was a lynch mob coming to chase us off the street.

the pictures the media are using are the other monkey virus, jeremy v on radio2 is talking now

I’m sure those suffering from Monkeypox and the visible scars it can leave physically for a few years and perhaps even mentally considering recent events won’t appreciate the above level of empathy.

All the years I’ve been on hear I’ve never seen anything quite so blatantly uncaring as the posters above, shame on you.

It's fascinating looking back at the early pages of the main thread, and the 'pre-main thread two-pager' from two years ago.

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/building-a-hospital-in-a-week/

Makes me wonder whether we should be paying more heed to the wise words of Chewkw.

chewkw
Free Member
Actually the virus was already spreading before Xmas as people was already talking about it at that time.

I guess the best time to spread the virus is Chinese New Year so the virus can be brought home to every remote corner of China.

The old people will be very vulnerable to the virus.

Well... unlike with Covid19... this isn't easily transmitted and is well known rather than novel. We know how to deal with it. Nothing to see here. The press just want to be running a story that rhymes with the last big one. This isn't it. I'm sure this is horrible for the handful of people who have to deal with it, but it is entirely containable without any unusual measures.

The news-pushers were almost frantic with excitement. THIS IS OUR TIME TO SHINE. NOBODY'S PAID US ANY ATTENTION SINCE 9/11. They had a little revival at the start of the Ukraine war, thought old Clive was gonna crack open a beer at one point on camera. But nobody cares about that anymore. Needs sustained peril like the pandemic.

The clapping was utter lunacy. I remember watching one news where there was a street full of clappers, pots and pans, then a clapee came in sideways from right of camera to left, then the camera panned to a bagpiper, like an alarm bell of lunacy. Where did he come from?

I bought a vuvuzela on eBay to see if I could replicate the atmosphere from the South African World Cup during those lockdown claps. Imagine my disappointment when it arrived the day after the last ever clap 🙁

And imagine my neighbours disappointment when occasionally, after a little too much wine, I perform an impromptu clap for the NHS 😀

Perhaps the absence of said thread tells you something about the degree to which we were all overreacting last time.

Or maybe it recognises that the risks and ease of transmission of monkeypox are not as severe.

The disaster fappers will be along in a moment, the usual suspects…

Yep. The "I can't believe people aren't still wearing useless masks" brigade will love this and will be desperate for some pointless restrictions to "keep people safe".

As for the street clapping morons, words fail me to describe those special brand of cretins. A mindless, meaningless, empty gesture with a strong whiff of hypocrisy thrown in.

Yep, Kelvin hits the sensible middle ground. All you Trumpian nut jobs and disaster fappers, get off my thread. Covid vs Monkeypox?

Ah, I reckon I (and the people close to me who matter) will be just fine. Carry on.

It sounds nasty doesn't it, certainly looks it!

I was a bit worried, listening to the News on the Radio today, someone who should know what they're talking about "No, it's not Covid 19 again, no not that serious. I very much doubt we'll see resitrictions of that level again"

Of course, my Anxious mind only hears "doubt we'll see" which means we might, and "of that level again" which means, so we will see some restrictions then?

Or maybe it recognises that the risks and ease of transmission of monkeypox are not as severe.

That's what I was trying to suggest. Perhaps, in retrospect, we weren't really overhyping the potential impact of covid, and we're being equally pragmatic about this, by not giving it an equal level of attention.

Makes me nostalgic for the days when the estimated R0 of covid was 2.8 🙂

Wow. Just, wow.
What a thoroughly unpleasant subset of people we have in existence on here. The abhorrent selfishness and rampant homophobia was particularly enlightening

That's the second time I've heard Monkeypox linked to Homosexuals, well I assume from authors use of the term "Bum". Seemed a bit cruel, but apprently the current outbreak has been linked to Gran Canaria Pride and Darklands Festival. Is this the rapture? Were the Westborough Baptists right all alone?

Have to admit, it has felt a little Rapturey for the last, oh decade or so.

Homophobia is hardly appropriate for this.
Just what we need with an infectious disease, demonising those affected.
Next it will be leper colonies

It's a serious issue, the reason AIDS was discounted as long as it was, marginal groups ignored because of prejudice. Don't confuse satire with prejudice.

Are we turning into 4chan now?

Plus the events of the 80s and 90s ought to remind us that just because a particular part of society presents first with a condition, doesn't mean that the risk is confined to that group. And that certainly isn't the case here. It's an infection spread by close contact, not sexuality. Dismissing it as a 'gay plague' not only unfairly stigmatises, but also encourages complacency in the wider sexually-active population.

Don’t confuse satire with prejudice.

Satire is supposed to be funny. I see you've edited it out now, or the mods have dealt with it, and rightly so.

Ah, I see the STW mods have already removed my carefully worded post to avoid any accusation of...well, anything vaguely correct, without considering the debate it would subsequently generate. Ah well.

On a slightly serious not I can see a bit of stigma being attached to anyone who happens to get Monkey Pox, it's already been discussed in some corners of the media.

Implying that the virus is coming from casual gay sex isn't the way to start a positive debate, when it is such a badly worded homophobic comment
Maybe try again with less shitty wording

As for the street clapping morons, words fail me to describe those special brand of cretins. A mindless, meaningless, empty gesture with a strong whiff of hypocrisy thrown in.

Only to demonize them later calling for thousands to be sacked because they wanted freedom of choice over wearing a mask.

Yep. The “I can’t believe people aren’t still wearing useless masks” brigade will love this and will be desperate for some pointless restrictions to “keep people Wales safe”.

I'm looking at you Drakeford you moron.

My first thought when I read about this new potential infection was,FFS!can we please,please just have an almost normal summer.I don't have the energy or will power for another virus.

Of course, my Anxious mind only hears “doubt we’ll see” which means we might, and “of that level again” which means, so we will see some restrictions then?

Well yes any 'close contacts' of Monkey pox sufferers have been told to Isolate themselves for 21 days, while Workers in any sexual health setting (STD clinics etc) are apparently being given the smallpox vaccine (as a preventative measure?)...

At the same time that we're hearing "it's not that serious" it sort of feels like perhaps it's at least a bit more serious than the authorities/government maybe want to acknowledge? At least initially.

Given that Covid 19 is apparently done and dusted in many people's minds, the risk exists for something else infecting a population in the midst of readjusting to "freedoms" and the concept of more proximity/contact with others.

My first thought when I read about this new potential infection was,FFS!can we please,please just have an almost normal summer.I don’t have the energy or will power for another virus.

My opinion is that, if we wern't coming out of CV19, this wouldn't have made much more than a ripple in the news. AFAIK it doesn't transmit anywhere near as quickly as Covid, nor is it as serious, but then, what do I know?

All the years I’ve been on hear I’ve never seen anything quite so blatantly uncaring as the posters above, shame on you.

You know, all the years I've been on here I seem to recall you saying something similar on multiple occasions. You seem to be perennially outraged. I would think one would get used to the rubbish people write on the internet and learn not to take it so seriously, like exposure therapy. It seems akin to passing your driving test and still being alarmed to find people driving so close to you twenty years later. It must be exhausting old chap.

I've obviously missed some editing of the thread. The reports have indicated the group who seem to be worse affected by this so far, but being to have a mature and appropriately worded discussion around it is obviously tricky for some.

As demonstrated by this gem of pointless provocation

Yep. The “I can’t believe people aren’t still wearing useless masks” brigade will love this and will be desperate for some pointless restrictions to “keep people safe”.

You seem to be perennially outraged.

Not outrage @jambourgie, more disappointed in the humanity of peoples opinions voiced over the suffering of others I guess. And you’re perhaps right, I shouldn’t be shocked.

If it comes across as heavy handed I apologise, but I had to deal with my son going into anaphylactic shock this morning so am a bit weary and emotional.

FWIW I also have a wife with Lupus and a daughter with illness induced hypoglycaemia so a serious ilness doing the rounds tend to cause a bit of anxiety for me at least if not them. Add the two together and you can see a reaction coming when this kind of stuff is trivialised.

Anyway, I’ll walk away as it’s clearly not the place for me.

Luckily it seems in its current form to have fairly low transmission.

BBC's health and science correspondent has this to say

"Nobody knows why there are now so many cases, but there are three main ideas.

The virus is different: Scientists are on the lookout for mutations that might make monkeypox spread more easily. Early data has not found a change in the virus.

Less immunity: The smallpox vaccine was used around the globe to eradicate the disease. It also protects against monkeypox, but barely anybody under 50 has had it. So are we now more vulnerable?

The virus just got lucky: Did the same old virus find itself in the right place – like a festival – or group of people where it was able to spread easily?

At the moment, the final option is being seen as the most likely."

While the "disaster fappers" and those who think of others as disaster fappers from two years ago might be keeping their heads down below the parapet for now, my guess is that we as a country have very little tolerance left for any sort of restrictions on social movement, with the combination of the memories of thhe last time, partygate, and a probable unwillinglness of Sunak to fund it.

We got any other Trypophobics in? all the images on the news articles give me the shivers.

As for the street clapping morons, words fail me to describe those special brand of cretins. A mindless, meaningless, empty gesture with a strong whiff of hypocrisy thrown in.

I recall Mrs Devbrix who at the time was going to work to ventilate Covid patients and telephone relatives to tell them their loved ones had died shedding a tear during the first couple of claps and also when the fire brigade and police turned up en mass to let off their sirens in appreciation of the staff of the hospital. Not such mindless, meaningless, empty gestures maybe?

ah the clapping, I do miss the clapping.
I used to time taking my bins out to it and take a bow.

then the camera panned to a bagpiper, like an alarm bell of lunacy

Loved this description.

We got any other Trypophobics in? all the images on the news articles give me the shivers.

I thought the answer to this was yes but I was unsure of the word so I googled it and DO NOT GOOGLE TRYPOPHOBIA JESUS CHRIST SINCE WHEN DID GOOGLE START SHOWING IMAGES ON THE NORMAL SEARCH PAGE!!!????!!!

I feel sick and unclean and it won't go away.

Not such mindless, meaningless, empty gestures maybe?

I think initially it was a brilliant idea for exactly the reasons you state. However it quickly turned into a virtue signalling exercise, there were posts on the forum at the time from folk who were being guilt-tripped by their neighbours for not taking part every week.

DO NOT GOOGLE TRYPOPHOBIA JESUS CHRIST

Yeah, I'm not particularly phobic, but you really don't want to do that.

Not good news for the local 'bath house' 😀

Good monkeypox vs bad monkeypox?

We need to bring back Brass Eye to properly investigate.

You do know they're covering it all up so we don't find out how it started.....

The disaster fappers will be along in a moment, the usual suspects…

Aged like fine milk, that one.

Yeah that was a great line 🙂

Yep,it’s all fun an jolly japes until it’s your nads with the monkpox.

It doesn’t’ really register on my disaster fapometer and I’d be hedging my bets on a ground nuke going off as the next disaster.
(I think it’s pretty unlikely now thou)

My sister messaged to say she had contracted monkey pox, I didn't believe her. Then I saw her face...

Is there such a thing as dog whistle homophobia.... because I think there's a few comments being couched in such a way that they aren't actually explicit, but I'm in little doubt how they are supposed to be interpreted.

In which case, grow up, have we learned nothing in 40 years.

Depressing, isn't it.

I’m not saying anything..

@theotherjonv

It seems that group is the primary vector though.

It seems that group is the primary vector though.

Monkeypox was first identified in humans over 50 years ago, have you got evidence which "group is the primary vector"?

I can't find any, other than apparently the natural reservoir for the virus are rodents in West Africa.

Good monkeypox vs bad monkeypox?

There are two, so the lizard overlods say.  Seems you don't want the one from the Congo Basin

It seems that group is the primary vector though.

low prevalence, moderate infectivity, newly observed disease.  Likely to be observed to spread first in a definable group.  AIDS was the gay plague - except it wasn't, was it, and the gutter press had to stop celebrating

newly observed disease

Is it? Apparently it was first observed in 1958.

Edit : Apparently the current strain is not thought to be any different to previous strains.

It's a bit like saying 'Chinese people are the primary vector' for Covid in early 2020. Just because cases are being detected by enhanced surveillance of the LGBT community via sexual health clinics, doesn't mean it isn't being transmitted elsewhere, or that hetero sex will be immune to passing it on.

@martinhutch

Even the WHO said the leading theory for the spread of monkeypox into developed countries (Europe) was linked to two raves attended by gay and bisexual men.

That's not a value judgement, just what is theorised to be, and supported by some evidence no doubt.

@scaredypants

A bit off-topic I know but the prevalence of HIV and AIDS was significantly higher in the gay community (especially in the states) compared to the heterosexual population. That's simply a fact even though it's not a good reason for stigma or prejudice.

was linked to two raves attended by gay and bisexual men.

Monkeypox has been known to infect humans since 1970, how the **** does "two raves" define the virus?

And surely the sexual transmission of the virus is as irrelevant as the sexual transmission of Covid, or even the common cold for that matter?

Yeah viruses are spread by people getting close up and personal, so why the particular focus on monkeypox when the same could be said about the common cold?

the WHO said the leading theory for the spread of monkeypox into developed countries (Europe) was linked to two raves attended by gay and bisexual men.

That’s not a value judgement, just what is theorised to be, and supported by some evidence no doubt.

That's my point. The first bit is a fact, no-one disputes that seems to be where this outbreak is / has been spreading from. That can be said without prejudice.

But the snide dogwhistle comments of some posts on here is absolutely a value judgement cloaked by just enough deniability.

It's always nice when more than one prejudice can be combined at the same time, especially when it can also whip up a reasonable level of fear mongering.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/did-monkeypox-leak-from-wuhan-

And when you add the caveat "the initial evidence suggests not" the potential to place ill informed ideas into people's minds is limitless.

Feb and March 2020 - people were ostricising those of Asian descent, even if they had never left Britain.
People were avoiding chinese (and a little later, Italian) food.

We could be about ot undo decades of progress here.

Those raves could have equally been frequented by predominantly heterosexual people and the result would have been the same.

Anyway I don't think there is a lot to worry about here, unless you go around cuddling everyone at work or in the supermarket there's not a very high chance of transmission.

I believe that the greatest fear is that monkeypox will infect wildlife through human transmission via pets and establish a permanent natural reservoir outside Africa.

A bit off-topic I know but the prevalence of HIV and AIDS was significantly higher in the gay community (especially in the states) compared to the heterosexual population.

Was being the operative word - heterosexuals now make up the majority of new HIV diagnoses.

I'd see monkeypox as potentially a more equal opportunity infection than HIV - I don't think it requires bodily fluid contact, simply close contact, which is a feature of most sexual encounters.

We mustn't fall into the trap of not making it clear to the heterosexual population that this could be their problem too.

My sister messaged to say she had contracted monkey pox, I didn’t believe her. Then I saw her face…

This deserved more recognition. Ha ha

A bit off-topic I know but the prevalence of HIV and AIDS was significantly higher in the gay community (especially in the states) compared to the heterosexual population.

Was being the operative word – heterosexuals now make up the majority of new HIV diagnoses.

I’d see monkeypox as potentially a more equal opportunity infection than HIV – I don’t think it requires bodily fluid contact, simply close contact, which is a feature of most sexual encounters.

We mustn’t fall into the trap of not making it clear to the heterosexual population that this could be their problem too.

I'm not sure that's strictly true.

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/policies/hip/risk.html#:~:text=Gay%20and%20bisexual%20men%20of,new%20HIV%20infections%20in%202009.

https://www.nat.org.uk/about-hiv/hiv-statistics

With the LGBT+ comminity in the UK representing less than 3% of the population, you have to accept that HIV is a much, much bigger problem for Gay men in the US and UK than any other group.

I’d see monkeypox as potentially a more equal opportunity infection than HIV – I don’t think it requires bodily fluid contact, simply close contact, which is a feature of most sexual encounters.

Yes, but amongst the various groups, MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) are by far the most promiscuous group. Hence their greater suffering from HIV.

Those raves could have equally been frequented by predominantly heterosexual people and the result would have been the same.

Gay men go through more sexual partners than your average hetreosexual.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/09/hiv-infects-heterosexual-gay-bisexual-men-uk-testing-virus

Yes, gay/bisexual men remain at significantly higher risk of contracting HIV, but every individual case is a lifelong burden, and and there are well over a thousand heterosexual transmissions every year just in the UK.

Everything I've read about monkeypox suggests that it may not require the same level of high risk contact to transmit as HIV - there is talk of droplet infection and just 'close contact'. Which makes it far more likely to spread during heterosexual contact.

So, while it's understandable to focus on gay transmission right now, sending out the message that this is likely to be confined to gay men is wrong.

"These cases are recorded in Europe,” Tomori said. “Why are you using a picture of an African? Those are your pox.”

A fair comment imo.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/24/africa-europe-monkeypox-virus-outbreak/

I don’t think it requires bodily fluid contact, simply close contact, which is a feature of most sexual encounters.

This will affect a distinct group of people whereas something live Covid (which is also clearly more easily transmissible) had scope to affect everyone.

Highest risk are going to be under 40s (or whenever smallpox vaccination was stopped) who are very social, i.e. very close to others, touching, promiscuous etc,.

newly observed disease

Is it? Apparently it was first observed in 1958

Just to be clear, I meant "newly observed" as in "in a new population/region" i.e. in relation to the UK cases.  Same way that UK COVID wasn't a disease of skiers, after all