People at risk of monkeypox need help, not stigma: Dr. Anthony Fauci

World Health Organization recently declared monkeypox a global health emergency.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the world “could have done better” in curbing monkeypox globally, but the window remains open to get it under control.

“The challenge now with monkeypox is to try and implement [strategies and interventions] effectively, and in an equitable way — without inducing the spectre of stigma,” said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the U.S.

“We have these interventions and we’ve got to get them to the people who need it — things like vaccines,” he told The current’s Matt Galloway.

The World Health Organization declared monkey pox a global emergency on Saturday declared monkey pox a global eemrgency on Saturday… There are 20,638 confirmed cases across 77 countries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Thursday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has recorded 745 cases of monkeypox in Canada, with the majority in Ontario and Quebec.
Limited vaccine supply could thwart Canada’s efforts to contain monkeypox

Monkeypox symptoms include headaches, fever, muscle ache, and fatigue, and can lead to rashes or very painful lesions across the body, which can take weeks to heal. The disease is spread through respiratory droplets during prolonged close contact, direct contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids, or through contaminated clothes or bedding.

Though monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, the rise in cases in recent months is predominantly affecting men who have sex with men. Contact tracing has tied outbreaks to sexual contact at raves in Europe.

Fauci said it’s important to acknowledge “the reality” that the disease is having a disproportionate impact on that community, and directly address them, “[making] sure physicians who are caring for that community are aware of it, so that they don’t miss it.”

“And you’ve got to do that without stigmatizing the community,” he said.

But avoiding that stigma shouldn’t mean “watering down the message,” said Dr. Kevin Woodward, an infectious disease physician and associate professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.

“This is affecting communities of guys who are into guys, trans and non-binary people who have sex with men … these are the people who should go out and get vaccinated,” he told, in an interview airing Saturday.

“I don’t think that by giving that information, you’re stigmatizing,” he said.

While Canada has implemented a monkeypox vaccine rollout targeting vulnerable populations, access has been uneven across the country. One man in Newfoundland  to flying to Montreal to secure a shot There are also concerns that vaccine supply may become an issue, as other countries scramble to secure doses of the Imvamune vaccine, from Danish vaccine developer Bavarian Nordic.

But while anyone can contract monkeypox, Woodward said it’s important that attention is paid to populations where the disease is already circulating.

“If we just say, ‘Anybody can get monkeypox,’ number one, we’re going to have a ton of people — who are not really high-risk right now — worried about it, and trying to access vaccine,” he said.

He said it also risks diverting the message from vulnerable groups, including the LGBT community, who “should be thinking about monkeypox, should definitely be accessing a vaccine if they’re at risk based on their sexual contacts, and then be on the lookout for any signs or symptoms of disease.”

Fauci said he worked to include the activists’ perspectives in his work. While it wasn’t smooth at first, he sees it as an example of how seemingly opposed groups can work together to achieve a common goal.

“It really is a very important story of [how] you’ve got to listen to the involved communities, no matter what the disease is, no matter what is going on. You have to involve the community,” he said.