From dating to concerts, these activities are—and aren’t—safe for monkeypox risk, experts say

Monkeypox is everywhere now: It’s spread to every state in America and if you don’t want to catch it, you need to know what types of activities are safe—and what you should do until it subsides. things to be avoided.

The virus, which was declared a nationwide public health emergency earlier this month, has affected more than 14,000 Americans and counting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This may seem like a small number, especially compared to Covid. But monkeypox is not usually found in North America or Europe at all, making the current boom both noticeable and dangerous.

Although it is not particularly fatal, monkeypox can be a very painful experience, leaving physical scars in some cases. And with vaccines in short supply and in clinics that support testing, it’s up to you, at least temporarily, to protect yourself from infection.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re wondering how safe your plans are to date, visit friends, or go to concerts, amid the monkeypox outbreak:

There is one important phrase to keep in mind when assessing the risk of monkeypox: close and prolonged exposure.

“This virus is not very good at infecting us, unlike COVID, so we need higher doses of the virus,” says Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston epidemiologist. “We can achieve a higher ‘dose’ through very close contact, or [if we are] exposed for a long time.”

“It can certainly spread to other social networks that have close contact,” Zeitlina says. “We haven’t seen it yet, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be ready.”

Other, more casual forms of physical contact do not seem to be major risk factors for the virus: a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in July found that less than 1% of people infected with monkeypox globally contracted the virus. was. For “non-sexual contact”.

“Casual contact can mean shaking hands, touching a door knob, dressing [that someone else has worn]A specialty pathogen epidemiologist at NYC Health + Hospitals, Dr. Sira says help, and this type of conversation isn’t necessarily high-risk.

This means that places such as restaurants, movie theaters, house parties or concerts are unlikely to pose much risk. If you’re still concerned, keep this in mind: The risk of infection is always lower with greater distance between people, less time spent together, and less skin-to-skin contact.

“We know that telling people to abstain from sex is not possible, telling people to abstain from drug abuse,” says Dr. Eric Kutcher, A primary care provider and addiction medicine fellow at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Instead, Kutcher advises, pay attention to any possible symptoms and take them seriously if you notice them yourself or in a sexual partner. Check yourself and your partner for any new rashes before getting intimate. Watch out for any flu-like symptoms ranging from fever or chills to a cough or headache.

Most importantly, you should communicate any potential risks with your partner.

“You often have the ability to seek and get consent from the other person, depending on who you are going with, what risk you are comfortable with,” Kutcher says. “The most important thing is that everyone makes an informed decision, and for everyone, the risk-benefit calculation may be different.”

Kutcher suggests asking yourself some questions to help you determine your own personal risk calculation:

• What will a monkeypox infection mean for me?
• How will that transition affect my or my partner’s life?
• How much will avoiding infection completely affect my life?

The closest thing to a sign of monkeypox is the rash, which presents as raised, rubbery sores on the skin. Only one lesion may be a sign of monkeypox, although some patients experience thousands of them at once.

According to statistics from the U.S., at least 95% of people with monkeypox have developed skin lesions so far. New England Journal of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A classic monkeypox lesion develops a point that may feel firm in its center, similar to a pimple. can be stress-inducing similar to acne, even Doctor. So how can you tell which is which?

“It’s not so much how many [lesions] You have, but how different it is from your normal baseline,” Kutsher says. “If you usually have acne and you have a pimple that looks like a pimple in that area, you usually have a pimple. Well, it’s probably a pimple.”

Most monkeypox lesions are not necessarily painful, with the exception of those in the genital area. They can be excruciating, and they affect about 47% of infected people in the U.S. If you develop new, unexpected sores anywhere on your body – you should contact your doctor.

This is especially true if you also have other symptoms such as fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes or body aches. These flu-like symptoms often begin four or five days before the rash develops and up to 21 days after exposure, but some people don’t get them until the sores appear. Others never have.

The test usually involves inflammation of at least one, and often two, lesions. If you haven’t developed any, but you have had other monkeypox symptoms, Kutcher says you should restrain yourself from jumping to conclusions: “In people with no known risk and normal prodromal symptoms, it could be anything. Is.”

In that scenario, consider waiting until sores are seen to temporarily avoid risky contact with others and go to a swamp clinic for testing. If the sores never show up, and your other symptoms disappear, you’re probably in the clear, the CDC says.

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