The director-general of the World Health Organization declared the virus a "public health emergency of international concern" in August 2024.
Madison Dapcevich
Published Aug. 19, 2024
SNOPES
Image courtesy of Getty Images
There is no evidence to suggest that gay or bisexual men are biologically more susceptible to mpox.
There is no evidence to suggest that gay or bisexual men are biologically more susceptible to mpox.
Rather, health experts warn that the virus is spreading within that community due largely to human habits, and the World Health Organization has previously said men who have sex with other men are a vulnerable population.
Mpox is a virus that can be spread through respiratory droplets and skin-to-skin contact, and thus sexual activities in general.
In mid-August 2024, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" because of a growing number of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African nations.
As the virus — which was formerly known as monkeypox — spread, some social media users began sharing posts that misstated scientific facts about the disease to exaggerate its danger. One such user posted (archived) headlines about the spread of the disease between men and about cases in children in an attempt to imply a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia.
That post dredged up a claim shared widely 2022, when the virus spread outside of its endemic African range to areas it isn't normally reported in — including the United States and parts of Europe. Social media posts (archived) implied then that the properties of mpox allow the virus to spread faster among men who have sex with men, or that gay and bisexual men are more susceptible to infection:
This was not true. As far as medical health experts are concerned, there is nothing about the mpox virus that targets gay or bisexual men over others. Neither does AIDS, for that matter. Transmission within such communities is largely due to human behavior — not how the virus itself behaves within infected people's immune systems.
In 2022, it was true that mpox spread faster within some communities of men who have sex with other men, giving public health officials reason to issue public warnings to the LGBTQ+ community. Put another way, men who have sex with other men were found to be more susceptible to the virus compared to other people, simply because of who was infected and where, not because of biological properties of the virus. Transmission can simply be explained by human behavior. (More on that below.)
A leading adviser to the WHO told The Associated Press in 2022 that the "unprecedented outbreak" that year likely began through sexual transmission during two raves in Spain and Belgium.
"We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission," Dr. David Heymann said.
As we have previously reported, mpox is a DNA virus related to smallpox in the poxvirus group. (DNA viruses are those that have genomes that can be replicated by the host, meaning that they use the host to make copies of themselves to further spread through the body during the course of infection.) Mpox infections are rare, but they can lead to serious complications that begin with flulike symptoms and progress to a widespread rash on the face and body.
Though not easily transmitted between people (the virus mainly spreads from infected animals to humans), human-to-human transmission occurs through the swapping of bodily fluids and touch — including sexual activities if contact is made with the lesions of an infected person — as well as shared personal items, such as contaminated clothing and bedding. Health experts recommend avoiding contact with anyone who is exhibiting symptoms, and for symptomatic individuals to isolate at home and talk to a health worker.
"Stigmatizing people because of a disease is never ok. Anyone can get or pass on monkeypox, regardless of their sexuality," the WHO said.
With regard to the 2022 outbreak, the WHO issued a public health advisory for men who have sex with other men.
"Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. It is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men. Anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious is at risk," the global health agency said.
Although a sizable amount of mpox cases in 2022 were confirmed in men who have sex with men, there is no evidence to suggest that gay or bisexual men are biologically more susceptible to the virus. Rather, health experts warn that the virus is spreading within that community due largely to human habits. Regardless of a person's sexuality, they can become infected with mpox through sexual contact — or any physical contact, for that matter — with an infected person either via respiratory droplets or by touching skin lesions and bodily fluids.
In mid-August 2024, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" because of a growing number of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African nations.
As the virus — which was formerly known as monkeypox — spread, some social media users began sharing posts that misstated scientific facts about the disease to exaggerate its danger. One such user posted (archived) headlines about the spread of the disease between men and about cases in children in an attempt to imply a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia.
That post dredged up a claim shared widely 2022, when the virus spread outside of its endemic African range to areas it isn't normally reported in — including the United States and parts of Europe. Social media posts (archived) implied then that the properties of mpox allow the virus to spread faster among men who have sex with men, or that gay and bisexual men are more susceptible to infection:
This was not true. As far as medical health experts are concerned, there is nothing about the mpox virus that targets gay or bisexual men over others. Neither does AIDS, for that matter. Transmission within such communities is largely due to human behavior — not how the virus itself behaves within infected people's immune systems.
In 2022, it was true that mpox spread faster within some communities of men who have sex with other men, giving public health officials reason to issue public warnings to the LGBTQ+ community. Put another way, men who have sex with other men were found to be more susceptible to the virus compared to other people, simply because of who was infected and where, not because of biological properties of the virus. Transmission can simply be explained by human behavior. (More on that below.)
A leading adviser to the WHO told The Associated Press in 2022 that the "unprecedented outbreak" that year likely began through sexual transmission during two raves in Spain and Belgium.
"We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission," Dr. David Heymann said.
As we have previously reported, mpox is a DNA virus related to smallpox in the poxvirus group. (DNA viruses are those that have genomes that can be replicated by the host, meaning that they use the host to make copies of themselves to further spread through the body during the course of infection.) Mpox infections are rare, but they can lead to serious complications that begin with flulike symptoms and progress to a widespread rash on the face and body.
Though not easily transmitted between people (the virus mainly spreads from infected animals to humans), human-to-human transmission occurs through the swapping of bodily fluids and touch — including sexual activities if contact is made with the lesions of an infected person — as well as shared personal items, such as contaminated clothing and bedding. Health experts recommend avoiding contact with anyone who is exhibiting symptoms, and for symptomatic individuals to isolate at home and talk to a health worker.
"Stigmatizing people because of a disease is never ok. Anyone can get or pass on monkeypox, regardless of their sexuality," the WHO said.
With regard to the 2022 outbreak, the WHO issued a public health advisory for men who have sex with other men.
"Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. It is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men. Anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious is at risk," the global health agency said.
Although a sizable amount of mpox cases in 2022 were confirmed in men who have sex with men, there is no evidence to suggest that gay or bisexual men are biologically more susceptible to the virus. Rather, health experts warn that the virus is spreading within that community due largely to human habits. Regardless of a person's sexuality, they can become infected with mpox through sexual contact — or any physical contact, for that matter — with an infected person either via respiratory droplets or by touching skin lesions and bodily fluids.
