Get Your Questions About Monkeypox Answered At This Virtual Forum
Image: Professor Michael Kidd, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Australia. Image: Supplied
The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) has organised a free Virtual National MonkeyPox Forum, which takes place on Monday, October 10 at 6:30pm.
The forum seeks to provide gay and bisexual men, both trans and cis, access to, and information from, community health professionals.
Get Informed To Keep Safe
According to the AFAO, the forum is designed to help members of the community make informed decisions regarding Monkeypox (MPXV). It will cover current ways to protect yourself from MPXV, as well as address any community concerns or questions.
Moderated by AFAO’s Deputy CEO Heath Paynter, the speakers at the event include Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd, Kirby Institute’s sexual health medicine specialist Dr Vincent Cornelisse, ACON’s Acting Director of HIV & Sexual Health Matthew Vaughan.
According to Paynter, “This is an important opportunity to engage with leading health professionals who can help the community make informed decisions about staying safe,” he said.
“The forum will provide essential information about monkeypox and how it is affecting Australians.
“It will also discuss how the community can protect themselves,” Paynter said, “with a particular focus on vaccination, as well as address any community concerns and questions.”
Approximately 136 MPXV Cases in Australia
Currently, the vaccine is being administered intradermally. This means it is given via a shallow injection into the forearm.
According to Kidd, “The advantage of the intradermal route is that you can provide vaccination to four or five people with the same dose that was used previously via the subcutaneous route to get to one person.” In other words, this method allows means clinics to squeeze four to five doses from single standard dose, which allows a significantly larger number of people to get protected.
MPXV symptoms can include a rash, painful skin lesions or sores on the face, mouth, genitals, and anus. This is usually accompanied by fever, headache, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes.
According to ACON, MPXV is transmitted through close physical contact as well as contact with the clothing of with someone who has symptoms.
MPXV can also be transmitted if you breathe in the respiratory droplets of an infected person.
Between May 20 and September 30, 2022, there were 136 MPXV cases in Australia, including 67 in Victoria, 52 in New South Wales, 7 in Western Australia, 5 in Queensland, 3 in the Australian Capital Territory, and 2 in South Australia.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there are approximately 68,998 monkeypox cases have been reported across 107 countries around the world
For information on the free Virtual National MonkeyPox Forum
