Global Media Coverage Of MonkeyPox Is Riddled With Racism, Homophobia: Here's How

"Monkeypox is a new global threat. African scientists know what the world is up against."

"Britain's monkeypox outbreak is linked to gay bars, saunas and Grindr."

"Monkeypox: Public health advice for gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men."

These are examples of some extremely alarming headlines given by media outlets to aware the world about monkeypox. Certainly, in the news media, the face of the outbreak is decidedly Black, African and bisexual men.

File Photo

From Reuters and the BBC, to Sky News and ABC News, international outlets and Indian outlets alike have used (in some cases, decades-old) images of Black people to illustrate their stories and tweets about the spread of monkeypox. The narrative global media constructed around the virus is one of tacit blame and stigma along the lines of race and gender.

But, let's first understand what happened and where it began?

What is monkeypox and how common is it?

The World Health Organization (WHO) started receiving reports of monkeypox infections on May 13. Later, at least 92 monkeypox cases have been recorded in 12 countries across Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia.

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low. Cases of monkeypox - a rare, little-known disease - are being investigated in European countries including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.

In the UK there have been 190 confirmed cases in recent weeks. Infections are usually mild and the risk to the general population is low, but the UK government has bought stocks of smallpox vaccine to guard against monkeypox.

monkeypox

The stigma along the lines of race and gender

To a discerning eye, what we know so far is there is an outbreak in countries where the virus is not endemic. However, the media reporting on the virus and infected individuals have carried shades of blatant discrimination and bigotry.

For example, the BBC¡¯s May 22 article, which does not mention an African country as one of the places where monkeypox cases have surfaced, leads with a Black man¡¯s torso showing open sores.

Always interesting the images western media use when it comes to reporting on outbreak of viruses/disease.

When you know better do better. pic.twitter.com/s7wew8cs3d

¡ª Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) May 21, 2022

These editorial choices are now under fire, perhaps best captured in a statement by the Foreign Press Association in Kenya, a group for journalists covering Africa for global outlets.

¡°We condemn the perpetuation of this negative stereotype that assigns calamity to the African race and privilege and immunity to other races,¡± the association¡¯s signed statement read.

Gay and bisexual people were subject to stigma and homophobia following the Aids crisis in the 1980s and 1990s. Mateo Prochazka, an epidemiologist from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "The infections are not about sexuality. We are concerned about monkeypox in general, as a public threat. We are worried about everyone's health."

Jaime Garcia-Iglesias, a sociologist at the University of Edinburgh who has studied how Aids and Covid-19 affected certain communities, says there's a "significant risk" that the stigma "comes to the surface again" and might stop people from seeking the help they need.

AP

UN denounces it

Riddled with racism and homophobia, the global coverage of the infection didn't quite make it. Doctors and public-health experts emphasised on "delicate balance" of keeping those currently most at risk informed, without stigmatising them or letting others become complacent.

Even the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warned that stigmatising language used in the coverage on the monkeypox virus could jeopardise public health, citing some portrayals of Africans and LGBTI people that ¡°reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma¡±.

lgbt

UNAIDS said transmission of the infection is most likely via close physical contact with a monkeypox sufferer and could affect anyone, it added, saying some portrayals of Africans and LGBTI people ¡°reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma¡±.

¡°Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,¡± UNAIDS deputy executive director Matthew Kavanagh said.

¡°Experience shows that stigmatising rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify cases, and encouraging ineffective, punitive measures.¡±

UNAIDS warns that stigmatizing language on #Monkeypox jeopardises public health.

¡°Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,¡± says @MMKavanagh, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director a.i.

Read our statement ??

¡ª UNAIDS (@UNAIDS) May 22, 2022

What are its symptoms?

Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles. Once the fever breaks a rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

The rash, which can be extremely itchy or painful, changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off. The lesions can cause scarring. The infection usually clears up on its own and lasts between 14 and 21 days.

How do you catch it?

Monkeypox can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth. It has not previously been described as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by close contact.

BBC

New guidance is advising anyone with the virus to abstain from sex while they have symptoms. It can also be spread by contact with infected animals such as monkeys, rats and squirrels, or by virus-contaminated objects, such as bedding and clothing.

To conclude, race, gender, ethnicity, caste, class ¡ª any and every marker of one¡¯s identity ¡ª change the way someone experiences and negotiates with healthcare. Monkeypox is not unique in the way its coverage has unfolded, but there remains time to correct the brashness and prejudice.

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