On July 23, a detailed account of a monkeypox patient was published by The Guardian, who happened to be Division Director at George Soros headed Open Society Foundation. In the report by The Guardian, Sebastian Kohn revealed he not only contracted monkeypox but also Gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), after having sex with multiple men during pride weekend.
One of the directors for George Soros’ Open Society Foundations who specializes in public health, Sebastian Köhn, shares in the Guardian how he had sex with multiple men in a weekend for NYC Pride & contracted both #monkeypox & gonorrhea. He blames the system for failing him. pic.twitter.com/De1KQBDRUl
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 24, 2022
Kohn said that when the pride festival kicked off in New York on June 24, he was aware that monkeypox was a matter of concern, especially for gay men like him. However, pertaining to the low number of cases, he went on to have sex with multiple men, which was indeed in clear violation of the guidelines issued by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
After a week, he started to feel tired and developed a rash along with other symptoms of monkeypox. Kohn said, “I’m a 39-year-old man from Sweden, living in Brooklyn and working in philanthropy. For the past decade, my work has primarily focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights, so I followed the outbreak from the very beginning.” Even then, he decided to go ahead and enjoy having sex with unknown men over the pride weekend.
After getting tested at the healthcare centre, Kohn found he contracted not only monkeypox but also another STD, Gonorrhea. Kohn went on to explain how the disease progressed, and he was unable to get the treatment he desired or required. Interestingly, when he was far ahead on the path of recovery, he received a call from a healthcare professional who told him he might have monkeypox. When informed that he had already got tested and was being treated for the same, the person on the call did not bother to ask about the people whom he came in contact with after contracting the disease.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. It belongs to the same family of Orthopoxvirus viruses that also includes smallpox and cowpox viruses. In 1958, two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Monkeypox virus was first discovered among these monkeys and thus derived its name from the same. Experts have said that gay men or men who have sex with other men are more prone to the disease.
The primary symptom of monkeypox is the virus that causes visible bumpy rash or pox all over the body. Apart from the pox, monkeypox can result in fever, and severe body aches. Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscle rashes, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
Rashes in the form of pox or blisters develop all over the body distinctively that look like chickenpox or syphilis. The rash often begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals. The rash develops all over the body and goes through different stages. It finally develops into a sab and eventually falls off. Those infected with the virus show symptoms within five days, and the infection generally lasts for 21 days.
The Monkeyvirus has two major strains, namely the fatal Congo strain with up to 10% mortality and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate of 1% in the total cases. The cases detected in the UK are of the West African strain. Australia is currently investigating its first case. Case fatality rates are found to be higher among children. WHO says that in certain recent incidents, the case fatality rate has been found to be 3% to 6%.
Monkeypox cases in India
So far, India has reported four cases of monkeypox, out of which three had travel history to the countries where the outbreak has been reported. However, one case that was reported on July 24 in Delhi did not have any travel history to such countries, which shows he might have come in contact with someone who had the disease.
CDC has asked to limit the number of sex partners
In its guidelines, CDC has clearly mentioned that people should limit their sex partners. Also, it has asked people to avoid having physical sex with those who have or might have the disease. It has also asked to avoid going to places with large crowds, avoid getting close to people who have developed an unexplained rash and avoid sharing items such as towels, sex toys and toothbrushes etc. Though the guidelines revolve a lot around people getting intimate, it has to be noted that the disease does not spread only by sexual contact. It can spread through direct contact with the rash, body fluids, touching objects that came in contact with infected patients and more.
