(1) I never purported that communicating that monkeypox is transmitted mostly among MSM is tone-deaf in itself. Like I wrote at the end of my comment, I think this information is important. I think it is the way in which you communicated that made it come across as tone-deaf.
(2) the definition of an STI is:
infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. The contact is usually vaginal, oral, or anal sex. But sometimes they can spread through other intimate physical contact. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skin-to-skin contact. [link]
Based on this definition monkeypox is just as much an STI as herpes and HIV. A short google search about it seems to communicate that it’s not being called an STI right now since it can cause stigma and stigma can hurt response efforts. But regardless definition has nothing to do with it. You can include it on an STI panel even if it’s not strictly an STI, if it is more effective to do that to curb its spread.
I’m a microbiologist but not an expert in STIs and to me if this is being passed among mostly MSM, reducing the types of skin-to-skin contact that MSM have more often than others, should reduce the spread. Even if it won’t bring cases down to 0.
(1) I never purported that communicating that monkeypox is transmitted mostly among MSM is tone-deaf in itself. Like I wrote at the end of my comment, I think this information is important. I think it is the way in which you communicated that made it come across as tone-deaf.
(2) the definition of an STI is:
Based on this definition monkeypox is just as much an STI as herpes and HIV. A short google search about it seems to communicate that it’s not being called an STI right now since it can cause stigma and stigma can hurt response efforts. But regardless definition has nothing to do with it. You can include it on an STI panel even if it’s not strictly an STI, if it is more effective to do that to curb its spread.
(3) I do maintain that paying people to abstain is not an effective intervention. Sex isn’t exactly a rational pursuit, and it’d be impossible to reinforce that. Also the CDC does encourage condom use and there is an early study purporting to find monkeypox in semen.
I’m a microbiologist but not an expert in STIs and to me if this is being passed among mostly MSM, reducing the types of skin-to-skin contact that MSM have more often than others, should reduce the spread. Even if it won’t bring cases down to 0.