A now-deleted tweet from Thai health officials trying to link a rise in monkeypox cases with Pride Month has prompted outrage from disbelieving netizens. The tweet from the Department of Disease Control was posted on Thursday evening, June 1, according to a Coconuts report.
“The Department of Disease Control advises people to be vigilant against monkeypox as 21 cases were found in May.”
On the surface, the words seem okay, but it was the imagery chosen to accompany the tweet that has netizens shaking their heads in disbelief. The tweet was posted with photos from previous Pride parades, leading to the obvious assumption that the government was trying to make a connection between the LGBTQ+ community and a rise in monkeypox cases.
The response on Twitter was swift and furious.
“Monkeypox does not occur exclusively in same-sex relationships. It can occur in individuals of all genders. It is not only gay men who engage in sexual activities with strangers; people of all genders participate in such activities. Keep your biases at home before coming to work.”
“Why are you including pictures of the Pride Parade? It’s inappropriate It’s already 2023, and it’s time to embrace diversity and change our attitudes.”
“Tweeting and then deleting it? The department low-key is acting as if they didn’t receive any training, it’s disappointing.”
New research shows that while monkeypox is primarily transmitted through sexual contact, it is not a sexually transmitted disease. The disease can be transmitted by other means of exposure, including non-sexual contact with infectious lesions and through contaminated medical instruments.
While the tweet has now disappeared, a link to a press release on the DDC’s website, which stated that government officials would be monitoring Pride Month, as it could mean monkeypox would “continue to rise among males who have same-sex relationships” has not.
Screenshot (translated) from www.ddc.moph.go.th
SOURCE: Coconuts
