The city of Chicago reported five new monkeypox cases making the total number of cases to seven as of June 12. City health officials have traced the cases back to the International Mr. Leather conference in the city held on May 26-30.
The International Mr. Leather conference and contest for leathermen is popular among the members of the sexual leather subculture and the BDSM community. However, health experts remind the public that monkeypox is not exclusive to this community.
In this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handout graphic, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient?s hand June 5, 2003.
Monkeypox Cases in Chicago and the Other States
The Chicago Department of Public Health said in a press release that the new monkeypox cases in Chicago involved people who attended the International Mr. Leather conference. Queer members of the community and an undisclosed number of other people coming from other states were among those who were present at the leather subculture event.
They noted that some individuals who attended recently traveled to Europe. Monkeypox virus has already infected over 1,600 cases worldwide, mostly in Europe. Meanwhile, the US has 65 confirmed cases in 18 states based on the recent figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDPH has already contacted other public health departments around the country to notify any additional cases in people who visited the event in Chicago in late May, Newsweek reported. The health officials reminded the public attending festivals or summer events to consider their proximity with others. Personal skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur during these events and monkeypox can spread through it.
The first case in Chicago was an adult male who recently traveled to Europe. The case was confirmed early June and was reportedly linked to the International Mr. Leather conference. Northwestern Medicine Northwest Region chief medical officer Dr. Irfan Hafiz said that it is inevitable for Chicago to see a case or two since the state is a very large international hub for travelers.
Dr. John Segreti, an epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center, noted that people can still get very sick with the monkeypox virus even if it is not transmitted to a large number of people like COVID-19. Symptoms of monkeypox infection include rashes, soreness, and lesions.
Monkeypox Risk Not Limited to Gay Men
While the recent cases of monkeypox may involve lots of gay and bisexual men, CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention director Dr. Demetre Daskalakis told news outlet The Advocate that the disease is not limited to that population nor does being queer increase the risk of getting infected with the virus.
He emphasized that pinning a virus to a certain group of people can affect knowledge, treatment, and research on how monkeypox could be transmitted. More so, people who are not gay might become complacent, thinking it will not affect them. The stigma could cover the truth about the virus and impede proper response.
He recommends that everyone remain vigilant and practice safe sex. The virus could spread in various ways, like droplets through kissing and touching surfaces. One should note that it cannot be transmitted by simply walking past someone or seeing them on a bus because there must be very close contact with an infected individual to be infected with the virus.
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