Fear of social stigma preventing Asians from monkeypox testing

Hong Kong/New Delhi:  Monkeypox, which has afflicted more than 30,000 people to date, is not a ‘gay’ disease and in Asia where gay sex is outlawed in several countries, the fear of stigmatization and worse is preventing people from coming forward to be tested, the media reported.
According to an opinion piece in The South China Morning Post (SCMP), in India where gay sex was decriminalized in 2018, two men refused to get tested after their sexual partners caught monkeypox, fearing discrimination more than the virus itself.
“This underlines the urgency of fighting the stigma against the LGBTQ community: fear can prevent some from getting tested, it gives a false sense of security to heterosexual people, and gives the authorities an excuse not to unlock resources to fight the outbreak,” said Salome Grouard, a senior journalist with SCMP and a member of Lunar, an initiative that highlights key issues related to women and gender equality in Asia.
India has reported 10 cases of monkeypox so far, including one death in Kerala.
Also Read Delhi reports 5th monkeypox case Monkeypox is characterized by fever with rashes, headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and body aches, back pain, and weakness.
In Asia, only a handful of cases have been recorded so far.