Dr. Michael Osterholm may have once been a Biden a, but he does have a knack for telling it like it is. On Wednesday’s CBS Mornings he told host Jericka Duncan that Monkeypox is mostly confined to gay men who have had several sexual partners. Not only did Duncan want to disbelieve this, Friday’s Good Morning America on ABC lamented that such politically incorrect talk can lead to “a community being stigmatized.”
On GMA, host and White House correspondent Cecilia Vega worried that, “I have heard this in my own life from friends and family members that this is predominantly right now anyway spreading between men who have sex with men and people feel like this is being -- a community that’s being stigmatized because of this.”
Chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton agreed, “Right, and I think the language needs to be better. We should be focusing more on behavior, not a community. Terminology matters.”
Instead, Ashton suggested that “Probably, a more accurate term is queer men and just four days ago, Cecilia, the CDC changed their language on their website to recommend vaccination for anyone who's had multiple sex partners in the last 14 days, that didn't make news headlines and I think people's lives and their health are at stake and the communication has not been good thus far.”
Such PC advice runs counter to what Osterholm told CBS a couple days earlier. On that show, Duncan asked “How exactly is Monkeypox spread?”
Osterholm made clear he was not there to tell people what they wanted to hear, “Well, as much as many people don't want to accept this, it is primarily a sexually transmitted infection just like herpes or syphilis.”
He acknowledged that is not the only way one can get the disease, “But generally speaking, it is largely sexually transmitted. And it is also very limited in many ways as to who is getting infected. It’s a small group, of very highly active sexually active gay men generally that getting infected with this. Many gay men have very little risk of getting infected with this virus.”
Duncan was not pleased and tried get Osterholm to adjust his conclusion, "This is not just men and women or homosexuals having sex, this could be someone who's heterosexual although, you're saying that's the majority. But, what is -- what needs to be done I guess to make sure that that group is not ostracized when trying to get the help that they need?"
Begging viewers not to shoot the messenger, Osterholm replied “Well, first of all, from a public health standpoint, our job is to call balls and strikes. Just tell it like it is..”
It should not be considered controversial that risky sexual activity carries certain health risks, but Osterholm had to inform Duncan of that basic fact:
we see in the United States that about 52% of gay men have between zero and eleven partners in a lifetime, but there is on the upper end of the scale, 10% that have more than 101, and about 1.9% that have more than 400 partners over a lifetime. And when you look at those risks, it's much, much, much, much higher in that group that's having a large number of partners. In the Netherlands, for example, a recent study for example showed that 44% of Monkeypox cases had participated in group sex in the time period that they likely got infected.
Osterholm concluded that such straight talk is needed because vaccines are limited and other countries have it even worse than America, so the vaccines need to be distributed to those who are most at risk.
Friday’s GMA was sponsored by Progressive and Wednesday’s CBS Mornings was sponsored by Dr. Scholl’s.
Here are transcripts for the August 3 and 5 shows:
ABC Good Morning America
8/5/2022
8:06 AM ET
CECILIA VEGA: So much so they're splitting the vaccines in some cities and I know that you're aware of this. I have heard this in my own life from friends and family members that this is predominantly right now anyway spreading between men who have sex with men and people feel like this is being -- a community that’s being stigmatized because of this.
JENNIFER ASHTON: Right, and I think the language needs to be better. We should be focusing more on behavior, not a community. Terminology matters. Probably, a more accurate term is queer men and just four days ago, Cecilia, the CDC changed their language on their website to recommend vaccination for anyone who's had multiple sex partners in the last 14 days, that didn't make news headlines and I think people's lives and their health are at stake and the communication has not been good thus far.
***
CBS Mornings
8/3/2022
8:03 AM ET
JERICKA DUNCAN: First and foremost, let's start from the beginning. How exactly is Monkeypox spread?
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM: Well, as much as many people don't want to accept this, it is primarily a sexually transmitted infection just like herpes or syphilis. Any time you have contact with a lesion on some part of your body. Now, not everybody gets it from sexually transmitted routes. For example, if you do have contaminated bedding or towels or even physical contact, a parent might have a lesion on their arm touching a child.
But generally speaking, it is largely sexually transmitted. And it is also very limited in many ways as to who is getting infected. It’s a small group, of very highly active sexually active gay men generally that getting infected with this. Many gay men have very little risk of getting infected with this virus.
DUNCAN: And I'm glad you brought that up. I know a lot of people this that community are concerned about possibly sort of being demonized, if you will, or looked at differently, similar to what we saw with the AIDS crisis. This is not just men and women or homosexuals having sex, this could be someone who's heterosexual although, you're saying that's the majority. But, what is -- what needs to be done I guess to make sure that that group is not ostracized when trying to get the help that they need?
OSTERHOLM: Well, first of all, from a public health standpoint, our job is to call balls and strikes. Just tell it like it is. If you look today at the best data we have on sexual practices across both heterosexual and gay populations, we see in the United States that about 52% of gay men have between zero and eleven partners in a lifetime, but there is on the upper end of the scale, 10% that have more than 101, and about 1.9% that have more than 400 partners over a lifetime.
And when you look at those risks, it's much, much, much, much higher in that group that's having a large number of partners. In the Netherlands, for example, a recent study for example showed that 44% of Monkeypox cases had participated in group sex in the time period that they likely got infected.
And so we have to emphasize that why? Because we have a major shortage of vaccine. Remember, the whole world wants this right now. The United States is not even leading in terms of numbers. Spain has five times as many cases per population as we do. United Kingdom, twice as many and so the whole world wants vaccine now, and we don't have it. So, we've got to target how we use vaccine and targeting it means we’ve got to get it to those at highest risk.
