How does biased media affect public health responses to monkeypox?

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Biased Media Reporting Exacerbates Public Health Challenges for Monkeypox

Biased media reporting on monkeypox has significantly complicated public health responses by linking the disease to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) community. This framing, characterized by stigmatized translations, lack of fact-checking, biased expert statements, and the use of derogatory language, ostracizes minority groups and hinders effective outbreak containment. Such reporting echoes historical patterns of stigma seen with HIV/AIDS, leading to decreased access to information and healthcare for affected individuals and potentially delaying treatment and public health interventions.
Stigmatizing Media Narratives Hinder Containment Efforts

The media's tendency to define monkeypox as a "gay disease" is a critical issue that can ostracize minority communities and impede efforts to identify infections and control the outbreak. This narrative, despite World Health Organization (WHO) cautions against discrimination, has gained traction, overshadowing the fact that monkeypox can spread to anyone through direct skin-to-skin contact, non-direct contact, respiratory droplets, or animal bites, regardless of sexual orientation or identity. For instance, advocacy group Justice For Sisters (JFS) identified problematic reporting in two Malay-language news outlets, highlighting stigmatized language and a lack of factual accuracy as key concerns.
Historical Parallels and Impact on Healthcare Access

The stigmatization of monkeypox draws parallels to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, where prejudice significantly impacted healthcare outcomes. A 2019 study by Dr. Tee Ying Chew indicated that stigma and prejudice against HIV were leading factors in HIV-infected patients receiving poorer quality healthcare, a situation that could be replicated with monkeypox. As noted by Dr. Choong Sim Poey of Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM), the trajectory of monkeypox infections mirrors early trends of HIV/AIDS, with conclusions about transmission rates and sexual practices being drawn without regard for divine punishment.
Societal Prejudice Fuels Misinformation and Discrimination

In Malaysia, existing societal prejudices can be exploited or misused, with illnesses like HIV and even disasters being leveraged to reinforce harmful misinformation that LGBTQ+ persons are sinners who must be dealt with. This creates an environment where some may perceive monkeypox as a form of retribution for "sinning." This perception, fueled by biased reporting, can lead to low self-acceptance, reduced access to vital information and healthcare services, and delayed treatment and support among LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

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How does biased media affect public health responses to monkeypox?

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