As reported by AFN prior to the administration's announcement, Twila Brase with Citizens' Council for Health Freedom argues there is no need for public angst over a virus she says is "nothing like COVID." As to the declaration of a public health emergency, Dr. Jane Orient of Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) thinks "somebody has a vested interest in this."
"It is by no means a public health emergency that needs to affect people in general," says Orient. "Unless you are getting a pet like a prairie dog or some kind of rodent that was imported from someplace in Africa where they have monkeypox, you're not going to get it unless you are in intimate contact with someone who has been having promiscuous sex."
As a result, Dr. Orient says if people were willing to shut down promiscuous sex for two to three weeks, "this might all fizzle out."
"People should not go to places where they have orgies or [to] gay bars where the whole purpose is to meet up with many, many different partners that you never saw before and you'll never see it again," says Orient, whose organization has published information about monkeypox. (Newest Threat to Medical Freedom – Monkeypox 'Emergency')
According to the World Health Organization's technical lead for monkeypox, approximately 98% of the monkeypox cases are among "men who have sex with men – and primarily those who have multiple recent anonymous or new partners."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also prefers to describe those most likely to contract the virus as "men having sex with men," suggesting they limit their number of sex partners and avoid places where "often anonymous sexual contact with multiple partners occurs." That CDC advice appears under the heading: "Safer sex, social gatherings, and monkeypox."
In contrast, Dr. Orient emphasizes a genuinely safe approach to sexual relations: "Safe sex is between faithfully married spouses."
She continues: "The monkeypox can also be spread not just by direct contact with skin lesions, but also with things that have come in contact with it – like linens or clothing or bedding; something like that."
And while the disease "may be very nasty and painful," Orient says it generally resolves in a couple of weeks. "It almost never has been fatal," she adds.
Robert J. Fenton, Jr. of FEMA has been named White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator. In a phone call with media, he stated: "We're prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus."
