We are learning more about Monkeypox, who it infects, and how it is spreads. Will it spread in Thailand? Will this change some guy's sexual practices?
We are learning more about Monkeypox, who it infects, and how it is spreads. Will it spread in Thailand? Will this change some guy's sexual practices?
Considering the number of gay travelers in Thailand and the high volume of action they have with locals, it's inevitable that monkeypox will soon spread to Thailand.
I think it's impact though will be limited. As scary as the symptoms of that disease are, it's rarely life-threatening.
I think in a first moment, when it starts getting media attention, there might be some hesitation from local guys to hookup with foreigners on apps. The sauna scene might also be curtailed. I don't think it will really affect the paid-sex market.
With time though, as more foreigners get vaccinated and the vaccine will eventually be available in Thailand, it will just end up being accepted as another STD.
Dodger (August 1st, 2022)
The Pattaya City Expats Club had a comprehensive and interesting presentation about Monkey Pox from Professor Andy Barraclough. If interested, you can view the YouTube video of his presentation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CZ4u5SpZMY
You're right that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease in the classic sense in that it’s not spread through semen or only via sex, but behaves similarly to one by affecting individuals who have had close physical contact.
I understand that it spreads through bodily fluids, that's why I said it will definitely impact gay saunas (which were one of the earliest hotspots in Europe) and hotels might even adopt a "no visitors" policy, but that's only if the outbreak is really big and the media makes a big case out of it. It doesn't seem to be the case so far in Thailand.
What's not really fully understood is if monkeypox spreads asymptomatically, but the viral load is definitely higher when they symptoms appear.
Who knows, maybe a practice of mutual skin examination before sex will start out of this
From today's (Friday) B.P.
"Patient missing
A search launched for a Nigerian man, a hospital outpatient, after lab tests confirm he has Thailand’s first detected case of monkeypox, and people in Phuket who had contact with him are also being tested.
...a nigerian...assume he's like an original model as in pitch black...how difficult could it be to find him...not like he can blend in
catawampuscat (August 1st, 2022)
Unbelievable that he could disappear like that...only in Thailand!
For those who are concerned, there is a vaccine. Not sure if it is accessible in Thailand or not however.