Anyone can get monkeypox. Here’s scientific research on how to avoid it.

There’s an awful lot of confusion and misinformation going around about monkeypox. I’m a cybersecurity researcher by trade, not a medical professional. But my experience with research, critical thinking, and corporate communication has gifted me with an advantage. It’s an advantage that I will try to use to benefit humanity.

In this post, I will address the myths that are going around about monkeypox, and offer solid advice based on scientific sources on how to prevent getting infected.

Monkeypox is serious sh*t!

Do not downplay the danger of monkeypox. I personally detest COVID minimizers, and the same groups of malicious propagandists will do everything they can to persuade you that monkeypox is also supposedly no big deal and that we should return to living like “normal.” These awful minimizers are everywhere, from ableist mommy groups on Facebook, to reckless teens on TikTok, to the capitalist cheerleaders in government agencies like the CDC.

The minimizers in positions of institutional power are motivated to get you to go to the office to wage slave for your corporate overlords, no matter the societal cost. The laypeople minimizers think wearing a mask is the most burdensome thing in the world, and want to be able to spit in the faces of Starbucks workers who take more than ten seconds to fetch their venti frappucinos with three squirts of pumpkin spice syrup, not two. Either way, you must resist all of these vile menaces to society. Middle finger them if you can. Their lies have a literal death toll.

I’m not going to post photos here because I’m able to be cautious and contentious without looking at horrific imagery. But if you’re an adult, here’s a link to a Google image search full of photos of what monkeypox infections look like. The most horrifying photo that I accidentally stumbled upon in my Twitter feed was of a penis and testicles covered in one massive, crusty, pus dripping monkeypox scab. It looked even worse than how I described it here.

And beyond the sometimes permanent disfigurement, monkeypox often infects people’s eyes and makes them blind. The monkeypox blinding photos I’ve seen look like the entirety of the whites of someone’s eyes replaced by solid bright red. There’s an example of that on page 29 of this very useful PDF about monkeypox from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. You can download it from that link I provided. A lot of my information about monkeypox comes from that document. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is a much more ethical and honest public health agency than the CDC.

Monkeypox is no more of an STD than influenza is. Yes, I could get the flu by having sex with someone with the flu. That doesn’t make the flu an STD, and nor is monkeypox. One of the ways monkeypox is transmitted is by respiratory particles, so you could get monkeypox by being in the same room as an infected person. And they can be contagious before they show physical symptoms.

In May, there were only a few “confirmed” cases of monkeypox in North America and Europe. Now as of this writing, there are tens of thousands of “confirmed” cases. But because a lot of people lack access to monkeypox testing and many centres are foolishly only testing sexually active gay men, take every official monkeypox prevalence figure and multiply it by 50 or 100 to get a feel for how common monkeypox actually is right now.

With something as individually and collectively as destructive as monkeypox, it’s always best to err on the side of caution. Being scared is good, fear will make people take safety precautions that can save lives.

Monkeypox is not an STD, monkeypox is not a “gay man’s disease”

The powers-that-be want you to believe that monkeypox is an STD that only slutty slutty gay men get for two reasons:

1. If people believe they can only get monkeypox from sex, and only from sexual activity between two men, it’s easier to get people to come to the office or the McDonald’s franchise and wage slave for their capitalist overlords. Acknowledging the reality of formite (lingering on surfaces in one’s environment) and airborne transmission justifies avoiding the workplace, especially if one is infected. The fat cats can’t have that!
2. Making monkeypox a gay man’s disease makes gay men an easy scapegoat. Homophobia is on the rise, along with transphobia and queerphobia in general.

Not only will there be a death and permanent disability toll from the “gay man’s STD” myth. But also what will inevitably happen, probably hundreds of times at least, is this:

• Child goes to school. Child gets monkeypox from the painting smock they wore in kindergarten class (shared clothing is a major monkeypox transmission vector).
• Child has an older brother, father, teacher, or neighbor who’s a gay man. Gay man gets accused of raping the child.
• The gay man is now a target of violence by his entire community.

To my horror, at least two prominent “progressive” gay men in the media have been endorsing the “monkeypox is a gay man’s disease” myth themselves.

One is Dr. Steven Thrasher, whose doctorate is in the humanities, not in medicine. I used to follow him on Twitter until very recently. I preordered his Viral Underclass book because he’s been such an enthusiastic advocate for COVID protections. So seeing his tweets where he insists that monkeypox is something only his fellow gay men should worry about absolutely crushed me.

The other is Michael Hobbes, co-host of the Maintenance Phase podcast. I have listened to every free and Patreon-exclusive episode of the show so far, and I still donate to that Patreon monthly. That was even more disappointing for me.

I’m a heterosexual woman, but I’m also an autistic woman. The vast, vast majority of autistic adults in the autistic/disability rights community are very strongly against ABA, which is essentially conversion “therapy” for autistic kids. Like gay and trans conversion “therapy,” ABA causes lifelong emotional trauma, hinders one’s will and ability to make decisions for themself, and makes children extra susceptible to sexual exploitation, while providing zero benefit to the child whatsoever.

All of what I’ve written is backed up by both scientific research and the anecdotes of thousands of autistic people. If the anecdotes of autistics aren’t good enough for you (probably because you’re ableist), my scientific sources are here, and the massive US Department of Defense research analysis here. Nonetheless, there are a (very tiny) minority of autistic adults, such as “sexual therapist” Amy Gravino, who endorse ABA. Every marginalized group has own-group-marginalizing “pick mes” who think their oppressors will reward them for oppressing their own rather than them becoming the latest members of the Leopards Eating Faces Party.

So I can certainly conceptualize homophobic gay men.

The other major danger of the “gay disease” myth is that people who aren’t gay men are being denied monkeypox testing and medical treatment. If only gay men get tested, then of course the only confirmed cases will be in gay men! Crissakes!

Anyone of any gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socio-economic class, you-name-it can get monkeypox. Now let’s get into the facts about how monkeypox is transmitted.

Monkeypox transmission scientific facts

African countries like Nigeria have been dealing with monkeypox for years. Because of how the current, ongoing COVID pandemic has destroyed over a billion immune systems worldwide, other viral diseases are coming back with a vengeance. They’re becoming more contagious and prevalent than ever. Monkeypox’s recent evolution into something much more widespread is an example of that. But because Nigeria is one of the places where monkeypox started and they do have excellent medical researchers (despite the colonialist myths white people outside of Africa believe), Nigeria has a lot of the best scientific information about monkeypox. People outside of Africa must overcome their racist thinking and take what Nigerian scientists are saying seriously.

That’s why this PDF document from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is an absolute must read. Here’s yet another download link to it. Keep it on your laptop, keep it on your phone. Use it as a reference, as I do.

Anyway, this is what the guide says about monkeypox transmission. I put the most important points in italics:

“The virus can be transmitted from animal-to-human, human-to-human and from a contaminated environment-to-human Index cases are infected by direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals, including through their bite or scratch. Human infections through the handling of infected monkeys, Gambian giant rats and squirrels have been documented in Africa, while eating inadequately cooked meat of infected animals has also been identified as a possible risk factor for transmission.

Human contact with materials contaminated with the virus can also lead to infection. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (of the eyes, nose, or mouth).

Human-to-human (HHT) or secondary transmissions occur primarily through droplet respiratory particles (hence, monkeypox is indeed airborne), requiring prolonged face-to-face contact, or by direct or indirect contact with skin lesions or body fluids of an infected person, and by contact with objects recently contaminated by patient fluids or lesion material (such as clothing or linens). There is limited evidence on the persistence of variola-related viruses on materials (that may act as fomites), under controlled environmental conditions, but there is evidence to suggest that vaccinia virus may persist from weeks to months, underscoring the importance of environmental decontamination.

During human monkeypox outbreaks, household members of active cases are at greater risk of infection due to their proximity, while hospital associated acquired infections have been noted in Democratic Republic of Congo as well as in the UK. There is some suspicion that sexual transmission may be one route of person-to-person transmission, but there is yet to be evidence to support this. (Take that, “monkeypox is a gay STD” propagandists!) Furthermore, transmission may also occur by inoculation or vertically via the placenta (congenital monkeypox). It is advised that affected individuals should avoid close contact with immune compromised persons (including those with HIV infection) until all crusts are gone.”

Here, I will put this in layperson language:

1. You can get monkeypox by non-sexual touch, even from a handshake if your hands have little paper cuts that you can’t see.
2. You can get monkeypox by breathing near an infected person for a while, droplet respiratory particles. Monkeypox is indeed airborne, even though there are also other transmission vectors. You should wear an N95 or better mask at all times when you’re in public to protect yourself from exclusively airborne COVID. But that same mask may also protect you from partially airborne monkeypox.
3. Women and nonbinary people can also get monkeypox, and pregnant people may transmit monkeypox to the fetus in their bodies. Children who were born years ago are just as susceptible to monkeypox as adults. And although unfortunately sometimes children are raped, most children aren’t raped and children usually don’t get monkeypox from being raped.
4. Clothing and other textiles are a major monkeypox vector, monkeypox is often transmitted by touching clothing or bed linens which have been touched by an infected person. Don’t share clothes with people. Thoroughly launder clothes you buy from any store before you wear them. And don’t let kindergarten kids share painting smocks or dress-up play clothes.
5. Unlike COVID, monkeypox can possibly linger on physical surfaces for weeks, formite transmission. People can probably get monkeypox from touching a pole on the subway or bus, by touching money handled by an infected person, et cetera, et cetera.

How to prevent monkeypox infection

Here’s why you likely clicked on my post. Here are my scientifically founded tips for preventing you and your loved ones from getting monkeypox.

While the CDC has been lying to you, the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) has done actual solid research on which chemical substances can be used to kill monkeypox on surfaces. I highly recommend that you check out their report here. EPA Releases List of Disinfectants for Emerging Viral Pathogens (EVPs) Including Monkeypox

3% hydrogen peroxide is one of the most effective and widely available chemicals for disinfecting surfaces from the monkeypox virus. There are multiple affordable options you can buy from Amazon, Walmart, your local drug store, and places like that. Spray door handles, countertops, sinks and taps, and any other non-porous surfaces multiple people touch.

Use ethanol (ethnyl) alcohol on your skin. It’s the active ingredient in most hand sanitizer gels. Make sure that it’s the active ingredient in whichever sanitizer gel you buy. I rub the stuff all over my hands whenever I come back home from my brief ventures outside of my home. You can also put ethanol alcohol sanitizer gel on other areas of your skin.

AdvaCare 120 Sanitizer with peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide, and Oxiclean Laundry and Home Sanitizer with sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate and tetraacetyl ethylenediamine should be used to launder your clothes and bed linens to kill monkeypox.

I wear disposable vinyl gloves as a hand barrier when I go out in public. Buy big boxes of them. I prefer them in black because I’m goth. Throw your gloves in the garbage once you get home.

I also bought a UV-C light wand. This is the one I ordered. You swipe the wand in front of things that you want to disinfect. UV-C light has been shown to kill monkeypox viruses on surfaces with enough exposure.

Monkeypox may be transmitted through contaminated food. For fresh fruit and vegetables, you can disinfect them by filling a clean sink with water (the temperature doesn’t matter), putting a few tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide into the water, putting your produce in your sink, leave it there for five minutes, drain your sink, rinse your produce, and put it back in your fridge.

Alternatively, you can try swiping the UV-C light wand on your produce. I will have to do that for my partner, because he won’t eat peroxide washed fruit. Even though I rinse it and you can’t taste the peroxide!

I don’t eat meat. But if you do eat meat, the data I’ve read says cooking all of the meat you eat thoroughly will kill the virus (along with other pathogens, such as salmonella.)

Guess what, folks! With monkeypox becoming a pandemic, our corporate overlords will make infected people work their shifts at Taco Bell, and you may get monkeypox that way. I’m not looking forward to that.

As monkeypox is airborne as well, wearing N95 or better masks and using HEPA filters at home and at work can prevent some monkeypox transmission.

As can avoiding going out and avoiding crowds. Both are solid ways to prevent both monkeypox infection and COVID infection.

WEAR A GODDAMN MASK, YOU BLOODY ASSHOLES.

Here’s my anti-COVID, anti-monkeypox kit so far.

On my kitchen counter: A box of 20 RAT COVID tests, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide spray, ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer, a box of black vinyl gloves, protective goggles, elastomeric mask, carbon dioxide monitor.

This HEPA filter device is near my front door. The other is in my bedroom.

Stay safe! Stay home if you can!

Kids will be going back to school, getting both COVID (destroying their brains and other organs) and monkeypox (destroying their skin and blinding their eyes). And most people are going around maskless, breathing biohazardous air, trusting the lies from the powers-that-be, all without a care in the world. So soon, most working adults will be disabled (most out of the workforce), and children will have plague-destroyed bodies before they even get to become adults.

The Earth is being destroyed by climate change.

Time will show my accuracy. Welcome to the apocalypse. You can’t trust the people in power. Sadly, we’re on our own. Take care of yourselves.