We should always avoid simplistic conclusions when dealing with something as complex and multifaceted as a global virus outbreak.
Just the same, every epidemiologist worth his salt should consider all angles and possibilities when researching the origins, vectors and factors involved in a pandemical virus.
Which brings us to monkeypox. It sounds scary. There are lots of big headlines about it. All the usual suspects seem to want us to be really afraid of it. So should we be?
Well, the counter-question to that query is: How easy is it to catch it? Put another way, how easy is it to avoid it? I suppose you can never avoid any virus with 100% certainty. But I gotta say...there do seem to be some factors—one factor in particular—that you can alter to mitigate your risk of catching monkeypox.
From the New York Times this week:
The global monkeypox toll has surpassed 8,100 cases, mostly men who have sex with men, and about as many potential cases are under investigation. Many of those patients cannot identify the source of their infections, suggesting that there is significant community transmission. ...
In San Francisco, B, a 43-year-old medical writer who asked that his name be withheld for privacy reasons, found himself shivering uncontrollably with a high fever on June 14, eight days after he had multiple sexual encounters at a bathhouse in Chicago.
Looking at these factors, I gotta say...
This isn't just the New York Times speculating, mind you. Here's the World Health Organization a few weeks ago:
The outbreak of monkeypox continues to primarily affect men who have sex with men who have reported recent sex with new or multiple partners.
Yeahhh I just...
Of the 6,924 confirmed monkeypox cases in the global outbreak, the vast majority have occurred among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, or MSM, various health authorities report.
I mean, not gonna lie...
I think I can confidently narrow down a very simple way to drastically reduce your chances of getting monkeypox. I'll submit it for peer review and see if it gets published.
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