Left to ministers, the UK’s mpox response would have been a disaster. Thanks to queer campaigners, it wasn’t
Owen Jones
So, how was that done then?
Harun had been infected with mpox – formerly known as monkeypox. There have been more than 3,500 confirmed cases in the UK since last spring, but here’s a crucial detail: it was overwhelmingly men who have sex with men who were affected. An emerging infectious disease, affecting a historically marginalised community, in a Covid-weary media environment – the response to mpox could have been a disaster. Thanks to the government, it very nearly was. But mpox was contained in the UK because of the work of queer campaigners determined not to let a public health crisis or moral panic erupt.
Early on, even discussing the fact of who was most affected by mpox was controversial. Social media abounded with furious claims that it was homophobic to state the truth: and indeed it was reasonable to ask how a virus could possibly know and target the sexual orientation of its host. It cannot, of course: mpox is hard to transmit and tends to do so through the protracted physical contact involved during sex.
Well, no, not really. There were an awful lot of us who insisted that reducing the amount of shagging around would reduce the spread of monkeypox. As it happens we were right too. Quite why this is being talked up as a brave and stunning response by men who have sex with men is unknown. Well, outside an Owen Jones column it’s unknown.
“It cannot, of course: mpox is hard to transmit and tends to do so through the protracted physical contact involved during sex.”
So everyone apart from gay men have sex at arms distance while wearing PPE do they? How come monkey pox only transmitted itself during male gay sex, not heterosexual sex, or indeed lesbian sex?
And we need to thank them for providing the source material for some hilarious gags. Almost a daily chuckle. Put your hands together lads & let’s hear it for the queerboys.
The UK response to monkeypox was so effective it also worked in 194 other countries.
Has anyone got a snazzy logo for Mpox yet , or The Disease Formerly Known as Monkeypox ?
They could have gone full-Covid, with police drones flying over notorious dogging spots. To be fair it does sound like they’ve learned lessons from the last pandemic.
Again he proves almost the equal of Murphy in his narcissism and overweening self-regard. What an irritating piece of flotsam on the backside of society. A shame ‘Bob’ Mugabe isn’t alive to send him a Christmas card…
Jim,
It’s the quantity of partners in protracted physical contacts which puts gay men into the high risk zone for monkeypox. They’re not exactly known for their monogamy, are they?
Jim: “How come monkey pox only transmitted itself during male gay sex, not heterosexual sex, or indeed lesbian sex?”
Monkey pox happily infects anyone regardless of sexual preference.
One of the first outbreaks started in Belgium, then moved to Germany, the vector being african Toy Boys specifically imported for orgies. Men and women got infected.
Quite a lot of those people happily carried on their Wicked Ways knowing they were infected.
The virus doesn’t care, and is spread by people who don’t seem to either.
But you’re not allowed to say that, of course.
“They could have gone full-Covid, with police drones flying over notorious dogging spots.”
Sorry, that just reminded me of the funiest dogging song I’ve ever heard:
https://youtu.be/MXzaVOk_Ydk
maybe there is a learning somewhere in there. Like government is a bad way to solve problems despite stated good intentions?
“formerly known as monkeypox”
Hahahahahahahahaha! They think… hahahahahahaha! They actually think… hahahahahaha! Oh, my sides! They think they can stop people calling it that!
Any words of wisdom about the vectors involved in the transmission to young male children, and dogs, of homosexual couples?
I must have just imagined that there were ever any short-lived news reports of such events.
Spot on John.
It was those observations thst caused Monkey Pox to disappear from the news agenda in a poof of smoke.
I thought Mpox was a kind of games console and it turns out that it is.
Sam, may I suggest the alternative name of poofterpox?
Wasn’t it also the case that for most people it was a mild disease, but those that were also at higher risk exposure to an immunodeficiency disease suffered worse outcomes
Wasn’t it also the case that for most people it was a mild disease, but those that were also at higher risk exposure to an immunodeficiency disease suffered worse outcomes
Isn’t that true of any disease?
Thanks to the government, it very nearly was. But mpox was contained in the UK because of the work of queer campaigners determined not to let a public health crisis or moral panic erupt.
Huzzah! Maybe soon he’ll start thinking that maybe the government isn’t the solution to every problem.
His main complaint seemed to be that the government wasn’t spending enough money.