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May 23, 2022

Andrew Campbell 

As of May 21, the WHO had received reports of 92 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox cases and 28 suspected cases from 12 non-endemic countries. Because a large proportion of recent Monkeypox cases have been discovered among gay, bisexual, and other males who have sex with men, UNAIDS expressed concern on May 22 about some public media reporting and comments reinforcing homophobic and racist stereotypes. UNAIDS is concerned about language that stigmatizes the LGBTI community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex).

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox was discovered in 1958, when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in monkey research colonies, thus the name. The first human case of monkeypox was discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, during a period of increased effort to eradicate smallpox. Since then, human cases of monkeypox, which is typically found in Africa, have been documented in several Central and Western African nations.

Rashes, fever, headaches, muscular aching, swelling, and backpain are all symptoms of monkeypox, which is caused by the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox, a cousin of smallpox, first appeared in early May and has recently spread beyond Central and West Africa. In order to combat a recent uncommon epidemic of monkeypox, the United Kingdom has advised patients to isolate themselves through personal connections. Meanwhile, as monkeypox cases spread around the world, Belgium has placed patients under a strict 21-day quarantine.