It's a good day. The World Health Organization declared monkeypox to be a global health emergency over the weekend, saying the outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men. The trust called for money to be given to scale up vaccinations for men in high risk groups. A three hour queue snaked around the building of Guy's Hospital in London yesterday, with gay and bisexual men waiting for their turn.
The evidence shows that the outbreak is very concentrated among men who have sex with men. There has been a curious reticence in the public health messaging about saying so.
Today's newsletter is about why that is, what the consequences are, and what a better way to talk about the problem. Right after the headlines.
A group of MPs warn that the health service is facing the greatest workforce crisis in its history which is putting patients at risk. According to estimates provided to the health and social care select committee, there could be as many as 50,000 vacancies for nurses and 12,000 for doctors.
The Eurotunnel was turned into a "hotspot of holiday hell" due to traffic chaos. The officials from Britain and France blamed each other.
Conservative leadership is to unveil plans to curb China's soft power by closing its 30 Confucius Institute in the UK. He will say that the UK has turned a blind eye to China's activities.
Russia's foreign minister sought to assure Egypt over Russian grain supplies at the start of a four-country tour of Africa.
State media reported on Monday that the country's junta had executed four democracy activists, including a former lawmaker from the party of the opposition leader.
There are many symptoms of monkeypox, including a rash that can be very painful. It can lead to serious health problems. Mild cases are the majority. There have been no recorded deaths related to the current outbreak in the UK, according to the WHO.
For the communities where monkeypox is spreading, it is now a huge topic. It could become an entrenched STD if it is not stopped, because it is not transmitted through bodily fluids but through extended skin-to-skin contact.
About three months ago, Dr Will Nutland, co- founder of two organizations devoted to gay and bisexual men's health, had no idea about monkeypox. It is similar to another job on top of my job. I'm a bit of a monkey.
Efforts to talk about it have been seen as evidence of bigotry despite the fact that they have been concentrated. The argument is that the vaccine shouldn't be prioritised for men who have sex with men.
What we know about the spread of monkeypox and how it should be addressed.
Gay and bisexual men are more likely to get monkeypox.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 98% of infections were in gay or bisexual men. The majority of the infections occurred through sex. The R number is 1.6 for men who have sex with men in the UK but less than 1 for everyone else. The majority of cases were in London.
According to Nutland, the majority of cases are in gay and bisexual men.
Public health messages have not always matched reality.
In the UK and the US, the public health message is that anyone can get monkeypox. Everyone can get monkeypox, but not everyone is getting it.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic led to huge stigmatisation. Part of the reason for this may be to avoid creating a sense of shame. If we don't know where the risk is, it's self-destructive, because that's who we have to protect.
It is hard in the early stages of an outbreak to understand where transmission is happening and what will happen next.
The data has been clear for a while now He wanted to praise some exceptional people at the UK Health Security Agency, but he also wanted more attention to be paid to gay and bisexual men. He says that the majority of the campaign has not targeted who it should have.
An example is shown in this PDF. A middle-aged straight couple might see it and think it would be better if they had separate beds. The Love Tank, which has distributed 5,000 information packs through saunas, sex shops and other places where clients are most likely to be at risk, is adopting a better approach.
Abstinence-based messages don't work.
Some people want to call for gay and bisexual men to stop having sex for a month in order to get on top of this. It doesn't work when you tell people not to have sex and not to get pregnant.
A person who is likely to be receptive to an abstinence message is already likely to abstain if they are told about the symptoms of monkeypox. They are more likely to end up in the hospital if they don't seek help if they are unwell.
Owen saw a kind of self-censorship at play among some gay and bisexual commentators, and that's why he started talking about it last week. People are worried about washing the dirty linen in public. The discussions are huge for some people but who gets the right information becomes random. Younger gay and bisexual men may not have those networks.
There is only so much communication that can be done until vaccines are easier to get.
Owen had to call 20 times to get an appointment for a vaccine. He told them to go around the block. Sexual health clinics are being overwhelmed and so are their other services. I rang a lot. The people were swamped.
The one at Guy's over the weekend is important, but other strategies are needed to reach those who are more likely to be from minority groups.
The UK has ordered 100,000 more doses of vaccine, and the National Health Service is increasing the number of vaccinations in London. It is a good start but not enough according to Nutland. If we are going to double dose, we need at least another 150,000 doses, and that may take some time.
It isn't vaccine supply that is the key broken link - it's our public health system. Over the last 12 years, local authority budgets have been slashed. Sexual health is still a poor relation when it comes to council decisions.
It has been six months since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. "If there is an airstrike, I sleep in my clothes so I can get out quickly." I don't like it. I really don't like it. I don't want this war to continue. There is a person named Archie.
The waybenign neglect she experienced as a teenager has affected her own parenting skills now. Nimo is a person.
Disruption is the only way forward after a week in which the climate crisis was highlighted in the UK. He writes that the people lying in roads and charging into airports and refinery have conveyed the urgent need for climate breakdown more successfully than anyone in a suit. There is a person named Archie.
The individually planned holiday has fallen out of favor with many people. Amelia Tait argues that we should all embrace it. Nimo is a person.
The actor and the scientist met for the first time in Saturday magazine. It's fun for obvious reasons, but also led to a fascinating conversation about black holes. There is a person named Archie.
The Tour de France came to an end with a sprint victory in Paris by Jasper Philipsen, who was the first Belgian to win the event.
Max Verstappen extended his lead over Charles Leclerc after his title rival crashed out. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were the top two.
The three-game series between England and South Africa was tied at one game each after the third one-day international was abandoned due to rain. After just two hours, bad weather stopped further play.
This morning, The Guardian ran a story about the greatest staffing crisis in the past. The cross-party report on the worst staff crisis in the UK's health service was the lead story in The Mirror. The Times had a story about long lines at the ports. The Sun leads with "Why did my baby die?" about TV personality Lauren Goodger. The variously aligned titles are well and truly dug in at the front of the pack. The Mail said it was tough on China. The other one needs to be pulled. The Telegraph says that Sunak takes aim at Truss over China's influence in universities. "Truss: my tax breaks will boost Britain". In the Financial Times, there is a story about China's plan to avoid US delistings.
The Americans are homeless in California.
Unhoused people are camping in the desert in the richest state. Sam is reporting.
The world is not all bad.
The relationship between agricultural practices and nature was broken after seeing the destruction of forests in Borneo. He helped set up the Weald to Waves project because he wanted to protect the environment. The aim of the project is to create at least 10,000 hectares of nature-friendly corridors. The era when nature has been ignored and degraded is ending. It will be very difficult for farmers who are unwilling to change to continue.
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