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The claim: Monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease among gay men
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported more than 13,000 cases of monkeypox in the United States. Some social media users claim that the outbreak only affects gay men.
“As fake news won’t tell, MONKEYPOX is a STD among GAY MEN!” reads an Instagram post shared on July 30.
The post generated more than 1,600 likes in less than two weeks. Similar posts have garnered hundreds of interactions on Facebook.
But the claim is wrong on several fronts.
Infectious disease specialists told USA TODAY that anyone can get monkeypox and the disease isn’t limited to gay men. Monkeypox is also not classified as a sexually transmitted infection because it can spread in a variety of ways.
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USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the right to comment.
Monkeypox spreads to anyone through close contact
It is true that many reported monkeypox infections have come from men who have sex with men. Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization’s monkeypox expert, said, according to CNBC, “Approximately 99% of cases occur in men, and at least 95% of those patients are men who have sex with men.”
Notwithstanding, anyone can get monkeypox regardless of age, gender, birth-assigned sex, sexual orientation, or race, said Dr. Matthew Hamill, assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, told USA TODAY. While the outbreak is overwhelmingly affecting the LGBTQ community at the moment, that is bound to change, he said.
“We’ve learned many times over the decades that sexual networks aren’t fixed,” Hamill said. “We’ve seen this many times… (for example) in the early and mid ’80s (HIV) was considered an infection that only affected gay men. We quickly learned that of course this is not true. There are many others affected.”
Fact check:Altered picture wrongly credits BBC, WHO and CDC with false monkeypox claims
Also, monkeypox isn’t classified as a sexually transmitted infection, Hamill said. While the virus can be transmitted through “oral, anal, and vaginal sex,” the CDC notes, it can spread through other means as well.
“Monkeypox is in some ways a bit more complicated because monkeypox has existed in parts of west-central Africa for decades and in this context the predominant mode of transmission is not through sexual contact,” Hamill said. “It’s through non-sexual household contact.”
The virus can spread through fluid from a skin lesion through direct contact with an infected person, said Dr. Richard Martinello, infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine, told USA TODAY. It can also spread through touching objects, fabrics and surfaces used by someone with the virus and “contact with respiratory secretions,” according to the CDC.
A pregnant person can also “transmit the virus to their fetus through the placenta,” the CDC says on its website.
There have been reports of monkeypox affecting children and pregnant women as well. Two children in the United States who have been in close contact with infected family members have been diagnosed with the virus, USA TODAY reported July 27. The first known US case of monkeypox infection in a pregnant woman was reported in July, according to CBS News.
Our rating: Wrong
Based on our research, we rate the claim that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease among gay men FALSE. Infectious disease specialists told USA TODAY that the monkeypox virus can spread to anyone and the disease isn’t limited to gay men. Monkeypox is not classified as a sexually transmitted infection because it can spread in a number of ways, such as: B. by contact with respiratory secretions or skin contact.
Our fact check sources:
- Associated Press, August 3, Social posts are spreading the falsehood that monkeypox only affects gay men
- Reuters May 26 Fact Check – Monkeypox can be spread by anyone in close contact and is not a “gay disease” – unlike online posts
- USA TODAY, July 27, Busting Myths About Monkeypox: A Look At Symptoms, Treatment And Other FAQs
- dr Richard Martinello, August 5, phone interview with USA TODAY
- dr Matthew Hamill, August 5, phone interview with USA TODAY
- dr Marshall Glesby, Aug. 5, email exchange with USA TODAY
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 29, Monkeypox: How it Spreads
- CNBC, July 27, WHO recommends gay and bisexual men limit sexual partners to reduce spread of monkeypox
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 5, Epidemiological and clinical features of monkeypox cases – USA, May 17-22. July 2022
- USA TODAY, July 16, Monkeypox is not a gay disease. But LGBTQ leaders say they need more help for gay men and everyone else
- USA TODAY August 4 Monkeypox is spread through sex, but it’s not an STI. Why it’s a problem to call it one.
- CBS News, July 26, US discovers first case of monkeypox in pregnant woman as cases rise
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