Thread by @TwisterFilm

1./ A friend of mine was hospitalised this week with monkeypox and it makes me wonder what we are NOT being told about the disease. At first his symptoms had been quite light, just like the NHS's medical advice suggests. Then he took a serious turn for the worse.
1 of /20

2./ The NHS may say monkeypox is "usually mild" but this desire to reassure is in danger of encouraging complacency. After a week of flu-like fever my friend's temperature soared and the pain in his limbs became so unbearable he's on morphine every 3 hours. Then this happened.👇

3./ The old sores aren't drying up as the NHS advice suggests they will. They're seeping because they're infected with bacteria while the virus itself seems to have a second wind. A whole new series of sores is popping up in new locations. He gave me permission to post these.👇

4./ Above all, his body is racked by pain he describes as excruciating. "I've never felt anything so intense". His hand, for example, feels like it is on fire from the inside. His symptoms may turn out be an exception. But I wouldn't bet my health -or yours- on it.

5./ All we know is that with 524 cases the UK has the biggest single outbreak in history outside Africa. Yet where is the alarm? Where is the sense of urgency to stop the spread of this virus? At least @WHO is about to discuss declaring an emergency.
👇 news.un.org/en/story/2022/…

6./ Some global health experts like @DrEricDing complain @WHO is moving far too slowly. The organisation won't meet to discuss the "emergency" until June 23rd. Why does this sound familiar? Didn't WHO spend weeks discussing whether COVID was a pandemic?

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1536871411360333825?s=20&t=KnQmSu_KbVPIK8hqSlccQQ

7./ Monkeypox isn't as serious as COVID -so far- but many gay men have been left with the impression this virus is no more than an inconvenience. If it was otherwise they rationalise (understandably) there would be more alarm. There should be.
npr.org/sections/goats…

8./ The virus is doing things we didn't expect. And may do more. An increasing number of cases, for example, like my mate, now report internal ulcers along the lining of the rectum. Have we somehow become so biology averse we can't warn people of this? Will they be offended?🤦‍♂️

9./ In the UK we have over 500 (predominantly) gay and bisexual men infected with a new virus yet Stonewall hasn't tweeted about the outbreak for a month. In the US alarm levels are higher. New York currently has just 10 cases and yet @NYCPride is warning about monkeypox. 👇

10./ The equivalent Instagram of @PrideInLondon where there are hundreds of cases has nothing. Neither has its twitter page, though they do have time to campaign for a Trans Conversion Therapy Ban. Yet there are gay men being hospitalised with a virus. Here and right now.

11./ Public health has to balance the need to warn with the need to avoid panic. This outbreak faces an extra challenge. The LGBTQ+ lobby sees itself -axiomatically- as "sex-positive". Spot the tension this creates in this excellent article by @sharonNYT
nytimes.com/2022/06/16/nyr…

12./ The article hints that many public health experts want much greater effort at containment (and more access to and better testing etc). That's what they tell me. But no one wants to "put a damper on the Pride celebrations and their positive messages about sexual identity". 🙄

13./ I'm as sex-positive as the next person but the top priority is to warn people properly there's a virus spreading that can cause clusters of bleeding and bacterially-infected lesions that might make your limbs feel they are on fire. Sorry, if that puts a damper on the mood.

14./ Playing the risks down -or ignoring them- is deeply irresponsible and risks putting LGB & TQ+ folks health in danger. Public health officials wouldn't be "urging organisers to issue advice" if they felt this was already happening. 👇bloomberg.com/news/newslette…

15./ In their desire to stay "sex-positive" and in their lack of alarm public health officials and much of the LGBTQ+ lobby have allowed credence to be given to the notion monkeypox is no big deal. My friend with his ulcerated and bleeding body -inside and out- begs to differ.

16./ The @CDCgov even put out health advice for people that suggested one way to avoid transmission of the virus was to keep your clothes on during sex. How about just rescheduling your sex party for a few weeks given that the incubation period for monkeypox is 21 days?🫣

17./ So far advice has also allowed the impression to be given there are widely available anti-virals that will treat monkeypox. My friend was told those are in such short supply he might not get them. Apparently, they are only stockpiled for MPs and other public officials.

18./ When the outbreak began -he was told- there was only enough in store in the UK to counter the use of smallpox as a biological weapon by treating the government itself. Who knows how true this is but my friend's doctors have been unable to access them. So far.

19./ It shouldn't matter but my friend is particularly gutted because he is so careful about his health. He was still working from home -wary of COVID. His boyfriend caught monkeypox and passed it on. That's him off my Xmas card list. Doctors reckon he caught it a month ago.

20./ I hope in a month's time we don't see more people hospitalised. If there are we can blame the lack of urgency among health officials and the fact LGBTQ+ groups failed to face a historic challenge. When it came to gay men's health they had so many other pressing priorities.👇