Our goal is to provide information about MonkeyPox to help control the outbreak and protect our community from possible infection without creating stigma or unnecessary fear.
Monkeypox can affect anyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Currently, there is an ongoing outbreak among men and transwomen who have sex with men and some infections have been linked to specific community events and spaces like bathhouses. While monkeypox isn’t traditionally considered a sexually transmitted infection, this outbreak is currently acting like a sexually transmitted infection in that it is being transmitted from person to person largely through intimate contact.
The cases to date have all been mild or moderate and death is rare. That being said these infections can be very painful and require people to isolate often for several weeks. People with untreated HIV or who have low T cell counts are possibly at increased risk for more severe infection. Other groups who might be at higher risk are the very young, older populations, pregnant people or immunocompromised for any reason.
MonkeyPox-sexually-active-InfoSheet-508
If you are experiencing symptoms as described on the InfoSheet, please call (215) 471-2761 to schedule a telehealth appointment with one of our providers. Please do not come into the health center before getting guidance from one of our providers.
Be sure to communicate regularly and openly with anyone that you will be coming into skin-to-skin contact with. That means that you should ask:
- Have you been around someone who had monkeypox?
- Are you feeling sick?
- Do you have a rash or unexplained bumps on your body?
If you answer yes to any of those questions, you should avoid close contact and use gloves or avoid touching things that other people will touch. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer frequently.
For more information on monkeypox, see the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s newly updated fact sheet:
PA Department of Health Fact Sheet