The doctor of the WHO Global Program on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infectious Diseases, Marco Vitória, warned that the stigmatization of monkeypox harms the fight against the disease.
In an interview with CNN Radio on CNN no Plural +, he stated that, at this time of escalating cases, “it is very important that the information is placed correctly, to avoid or minimize the stigma of a disease that still has the behavior investigated.”
The expert reinforces that “there is no evidence that men who have sex with men are more susceptible to the disease”: “Contagion occurs through close contact, regardless of any sexual orientation, it is transmitted between men, women and children.”
Right now, he muses, monkeypox “has been most documented” among men who have sex with men.
He attributes this to this group looking more into the healthcare system.
The doctor points out that it is necessary to learn lessons from AIDS and how the stigmatization of the disease can be harmful. “It makes it difficult to get information and fight the disease, if you don’t work the news clearly, it will make it more difficult to understand the problem”.
Marco Vitória stressed that there is still a lot to discover about monkeypox, as it is “all too new in this area to know how it will behave”.
Source: CNN Brasil
