"Why Warnings That M-Pox Stigma Could Fuel the Trend Are Being Issued"

As the total number of cumulative confirmed cases of Mpox in South Korea has risen to 34, health authorities have urged the public to refrain from expressing hateful remarks toward Mpox patients. This is due to concerns that if the social atmosphere blames the spread of Mpox on sexual minorities, individuals with suspected symptoms may avoid reporting.

Im Suk-young, the Situation General Manager of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing on the 26th, "As Mpox patients continue to emerge, some hateful expressions toward patients have appeared," and pointed out, "Prejudice against patients causes suspected patients to hide, making disease control more difficult."

Im added, "Mpox is not an infectious disease with a high risk level like COVID-19, but if infections are concealed, there is a risk of spread," and emphasized, "We ask our society to be considerate so that individuals with suspected symptoms do not avoid reporting due to concerns about social stigma."

While hatred and discrimination against sexual minorities themselves are problematic, there is concern that such a social atmosphere could make it difficult to identify patients.

Unlike respiratory infectious diseases, Mpox is mainly transmitted through close contact with an infected person. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), among 30,438 confirmed Mpox cases with identified sexual orientation, 84.1% (25,690 cases) were transmitted through sexual contact. Therefore, although the likelihood of Mpox spreading on a large scale like COVID-19 is low, early diagnosis is difficult based on initial symptoms alone, making it important to report close contact with confirmed cases.

On the afternoon of November 15 last year, a digital display at the departure hall of Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport, showed information about monkeypox infection. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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This is similar to the outbreak of group infections originating from Itaewon clubs in May 2020, during the early spread of COVID-19, when hatred toward sexual minorities arose. When it became known that many of the clubs visited by a confirmed patient were frequented mainly by sexual minorities, some opinions emerged that the personal information and movement paths of visitors to those clubs should be disclosed.

However, outing individuals under the pretext of disease control can make those with suspected symptoms reluctant to undergo testing. The atmosphere of hatred and discrimination against sexual minorities does not help disease control. At that time, health authorities conducted anonymous testing to encourage contacts who felt burdened by identity exposure to get tested.

Kim Jin-yong, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Incheon Medical Center, who treated the first domestic Mpox patient, also said at the briefing, "It is most important to actively cooperate in preventing infectious diseases and promoting health among high-risk groups for Mpox control," and requested, "(Suspected individuals) avoid medical treatment and reporting due to concerns about social stigma and discrimination, so we ask the medical community, health authorities, and all citizens to cooperate and be considerate in protecting personal information to prevent the spread of Mpox."

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