As monkeypox cases rise in Hamilton, councillors caution against stigmatizing gay and bisexual men – CBC.ca
Two Hamilton city councillors cautioned local public health officials about how they present new monkeypox data, saying it could stigmatize gay and bisexual men.
During a board of health meeting earlier this week, public health officials revealed 10 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Hamilton. The first case was revealed early last month.
For context, the Public Health Agency of Canada has reported 1,008 cases of monkeypox country-wide. Of those, 478 have been in Ontario.
Jordan Walker, Hamilton’s acting director of epidemiology, wellness and communicable disease control, said all 10 cases reported in the city were among men and the average age of those infected was 36.
“The most common risk factors reported from cases to date include multiple sex contacts in the last six months, sex with the same sex, a new sex contact in the last two months and anonymous sex,” Walker said.
Stigma could put LGBTQ community ‘at risk’
Ward 1 Coun. Maureen Wilson and Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann both had concerns with how the data was presented at the meeting on Aug. 10.
Nann said she felt “uncomfortable” with public health’s presentation.
“I know that there’s been a lot of expressed concern in the community and globally right now about an overemphasis on the spread of monkeypox being placed into a sexualized context,” she said.
“Anybody is susceptible to it should they be in close physical contact with somebody who is infected.”
Wilson said the framing of the message on monkeypox “could possibly put at risk the LGBTQ community moving forward,” and said “that is exactly what happened in the 1980s,” referring to the HIV/AIDS crisis.
During that time, HIV and AIDS were often associated with only gay men, which led people in LGBTQ communities across Canada to face discrimination, isolation and even violence as HIV and AIDS spread.
“I would just like to express an asterisk of concern with the language that we use moving forward on this, so that we do not inadvertently repeat some of the risks and the dangers that certain members of our community were placed in decades ago,” Wilson said.
Tim McClemont, executive director of The AIDS Network, told CBC Hamilton he had concerns, too.
The AIDS Network serves people in Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Norfolk, and Brant and its many programs include men’s health services and those for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
“While most reported cases in Canada in this outbreak are currently among gay and bisexual men, monkeypox is not exclusive to any group or setting,” McClemont said.
Public health says it’s ‘a balancing act’
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said in late July stigma “can be as dangerous as any virus and can fuel the outbreak.”
At the same time, he urged gay and bisexual men to reduce their number of sexual partners or to reconsider having new sexual partners “for the moment.”
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said last month the outbreak Canada is experiencing can be stopped by employing strategies that target the most vulnerable groups of people.
On Wednesday, Walker told Wilson and Nann monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, but noted the cases have been spreading within specific communities.
“It’s absolutely a balancing act … We don’t want to promote or encourage stigmatization in any of our responses, but we do need to be cognizant of where the virus is being detected, where it’s transmitted and responding to that,” Walker said.
Dr. Bart Harvey, Hamilton’s associate medical officer of health, said monkeypox seems to be focused in some communities more than others “because of activities in that community.”
“Even when you look at the Ontario criteria for the vaccine and preparation, the criteria have been kind of laid out identifying what we know so far as to who is at greatest risk of being infected and they’re the ones that are eligible for the [monkeypox] vaccines,” Harvey added.
Calls for more access to vaccines
McClemont said The AIDS Network’s “immediate concern” is that vaccine appointments are full.
“We are working with our provincial Ministry of Health and local public health departments in the regions we serve to promote and support provision of the vaccine in as many venues as possible,” he said.
“We join the calls of many health care providers around the world, expressed most recently at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal to marshal resources quickly for vaccine and treatment for the whole community,” McClemont said.
Public health is running a monkeypox vaccine clinic every Thursday in August at Lime Ridge Mall in Hamilton.
Those who are eligible can book an appointment by calling 905-974-9848 option 7.