'America does not have what it needs to adequately and totally fight monkeypox. We are already stretched to capacity.'
Clinics that treat sexually transmitted diseases — already struggling to contain an explosive increase in infections such as syphilis and gonorrhea — now find themselves on the front lines in the nation's fight to control the rapidly growing monkeypox outbreak.
Because the current monkeypox outbreak causes blisters or pimples on the genitals, many patients are seeking care for what appears to be herpes, syphilis or another sexually transmitted infection. Patients often prefer to seek care anonymously at public clinics, rather than visit their primary care doctors, because of the stigma of sexually transmitted infections.
These clinics are some of the most neglected safety nets of the nation's tattered public health system, which has less authority and flexibility to fight outbreaks today than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, hundreds of local and state health professionals who trace the origins, track the trajectory and stop the spread of cases reported by sexual health clinics have quit or been replaced since the pandemic began. Some left due to burnout, and others were driven from their jobs by critics protesting unpopular policies on masks and lockdowns. Some federal grants to strengthen the public health workforce are just now being rolled out.
Contacting exposed people becomes more complicated if they live across the county or state line, which can require coordinating an outbreak response with additional health departments, said Shawn Kiernan, chief of the communicable disease section for Virginia's Fairfax County Health Department. Lifestyles Why you should set healthy boundaries Do you feel pressured to say yes to yet another work request? Maybe you've been burnt out by too many social gatherings? It could be time to s…
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