Northern Ontario gay community wants to see more vaccines, clear messaging on monkeypox – CBC.ca
The monkeypox outbreak is making for a nervous summer in northern Ontario’s gay community.
Anyone can get the virus through any kind of close contact, but so far, the majority of the 400 people infected in the province are gay men.
Only two of those cases are in the north, with one reported in the Sudbury-Manitoulin health district and the other in the North Bay-Parry Sound health unit.
Ken Miller, one of the founders of the Northern Ontario Pride Network, says this is reminding many of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, which was incorrectly labelled as a “gay plague.”
“There is a certain amount of hysteria that comes with it,” he said.
“I think there are people that are afraid and there are specifically people that are scared of the gay community over this. As well as people in the gay community afraid of getting it.”
He is pleased to see the vaccine for monkeypox being made more available in the region.
At first, you could only get immunized against the virus in areas that have had confirmed cases.
But the Thunder Bay health unit has now agreed to make the vaccine available to gay, bisexual and trans men who have multiple sexual partners or are otherwise at high risk of contracting monkeypox.
Miller would like to see the province allow anyone to get vaccinated against monkeypox and be more clear in public health messaging that anyone can contract the virus through any kind of close contact.
“Prolonged contact right? So it’s like cuddling, I mean, even wrestling, playing sports. Yes, sexual contact and all that. But just being mindful of who they’re getting that close to and for how long,” he said.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts does note that it’s “important not to stigmatize others based on sex, gender, or sexual orientation as this can lead to a misunderstanding of risks.”
The health unit has given out 21 doses of the monkeypox vaccine since July 18.