Its international status has just changed:
Time for completely different, inconsistent and mutually interfering national measures to swing into effect [or be bogged down in partisan politicisation and denialist conspiricising].
Local public health officials urge San Antonio residents to avoid close, skin-to-skin contact in large crowds where people are wearing minimal clothing amid confirmation of an eighth case of monkeypox.
…Nevertheless, she [Dr. Anita Kurian, assistant director of the Metropolitan Health District’s communicable disease division] said people should avoid situations such as music festivals, nightclubs, raves, saunas and bathhouses in which they could come into contact with someone who has a new, unexplained rash.
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Close contact is risky, even if not overtly sexual.
I’d like to know if they have a caregiver with it. Especially the baby - even bottle feeding an infant necessarily involves close physical contact.
Total confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases on July 27: 4,639
I know I’m neurotic, thanks :), but I worry about whether I should be insisting that my husband either use gloves or very quickly apply hand sanitizer when using a gas pump or similar shared surface. I know this can transmit via fabric, but what about hard surfaces if someone with this rash uses it?
He does 95%+ of the driving in our household, so it’s very rare for me to be the one feeding the car.
We’ve all read articles about it being transmitted by droplets or handling clothing/bedding/utensils a person with monkey pox has used, but those articles never say how likely either is. 98% of cases can be traced back to sexual contact so the odds have to be quite small.
I fully expect them to eventually walk it back to admitting that handling soiled bedding and clothing worn by someone gravely ill is the only likely danger to surface contact. Just like they did after scaring the bejesus out of everyone about getting covid from touching groceries and mail.
This goes in the “WTF is the matter with people?” Department. (Gift link)
Lilly Simon, a 33-year-old in Brooklyn, does not have monkeypox. She does have neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes tumors to grow at her nerve endings. Those tumors were filmed surreptitiously by a TikTok user while Ms. Simon was riding the subway on a Thursday in late July during her commute.
…The video was later posted to TikTok with a monkey emoji and a question mark laid on top…
…In the TikTok video, the person recording zooms in on Ms. Simon’s arms, legs and ankles, where her small tumors appear as raised bumps on her skin.
…Ultimately, [Ms. Simon] decided to stitch her response to the initial video.
…“The tumors are benign, but they are still all over my skin and give me a lot of health complications, both physical and mental,” Ms. Simon says in her video. …There currently is no cure for neurofibromatosis type 1. It is not contagious.
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Biden administration declares public health emergency as confirmed cases in the U.S. top 7,000:
Monkeypox state cases: New York, California top numbers as Biden admin declares emergency (msn.com)
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The U.S. now has one of highest rates of monkeypox infection in the world, and the number is expected to rise as the disease spreads and surveillance and testing improve. As of Thursday, the country had recorded more than 7,100 monkeypox cases, with the highest rates per capita in Washington, D.C., New York State and Georgia.
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We’re number ONE, we’re number ONE!! 
My daffy landlord shared with me a story that’s actually true: A dog got monkeypox from its owners, who are both gay.
I said to him, “Great; we’re not going to use this virus as an excuse to harass gay people again, are we? Like we did with HIV?”
I’m pretty sure that has already been happening.
Remember the predictions “it’s getting colder and people are staying indoors, so expect COVID rates to rise”?
Any predictions how this will play out with monkeypox? On the one hand I expect people staying indoors more to reduce the rate of transmission. On the other hand some of that “staying indoors” will be school-age children going back to school - where they will be in contact in the hallways, gym class, etc.)
Yes this should be something talked about. Its spreading but some people are acting like there is nothing going on. Its always when its too late that people realize this is. However if the people in control don’t give a hoot then the masses follow by example. It take a leader to lead others unfortunately people need motivation.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC, held a press briefing today. She said that 93% of the reported cases to date were amongst men who have sex with other men.
Press Briefing by White House Monkeypox Response Team and Public Health Officials - The White House
I don’t think it’s being passed by schoolchildren in the hallways or gym classes.
Clearly, it seems bizarre that in some areas of the media, the reality of risk and transmission is obscured.
As it stands the burden of changing behaviour and reducing transmission falls disproportionally on one particular demographic with one specific sexual trait. A focus on that group is clearly sensible.
(Hope this doesn’t come under the rules for too long of a quote.)
ABC NEWS LIVE: Lastly, Dr. Lewis, with schools starting across the globe, there is a concern about cases starting to spread more among children. What do people need to know in that context?
Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization’s Technical Lead for the monkeypox outbreak: "So this pattern, as you described, has been very consistent. And the folks who are at higher risk and need to figure out what information, they need to protect themselves are people who are having predominantly multiple sexual partners.
It doesn’t have to be only men. It can be other groups who may be having active sexual activities with people that they don’t know so well or in situations where they’re multiple partners at once. So this could happen on a college campus, for example. Obviously, we’re talking about young people here.
The risk to children is really quite low at the moment because the spread in general population has not really manifested; it’s not taken off. We have seen some children exposed in different ways, but the numbers are really very small at the moment. Usually, that happens in a household setting and that is typical. That is very common.
It’s always been known that people can transmit through hugging, kissing, whether that be household members who also share towels, for example. And so historically, for monkeypox, that has been described as the mode of transmission-close proximity in the household.
I can’t say this is very comforting. It appears that the Dr. is trying to say that a Venn diagram of “people who are carriers” and “schoolchildren” have little overlap - at least for now.
And it’s the first time I’ve heard is stated that this can be transmitted by sharing a towel.
I guess that when I’m in the waiting room at the Doctor’s, I won’t be using the chairs provided.
If I could read or do math, I’d know how old you are now.
Since May 2022, about 85,000 cases of mpox and 93 deaths have been reported from 110 countries around the world. Many of these cases have been in men who have sex with men, and 38-50% of those diagnosed with mpox also live with HIV – the vast majority of whom are on HIV treatment and living healthy lives.