Mpox Illness Narratives

Stigmatising Care and Recovery During and After an Emergency Outbreak

Dados Bibliográficos

ID14994039
AutoresA K Smith (0000-0002-0005-9542, UNSW Sydney, autor correspondente), Daniel Storer (0000-0001-8465-7664, UNSW Sydney), K Lancaster (0000-0002-2411-7970, UNSW Sydney), Bridget Haire (0000-0002-0657-9610, Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia), Christy E Newman (0000-0002-5482-2822, UNSW Sydney), Sara Paparini (0000-0002-1909-2481, Queen Mary University of London), James Macgibbon (0000-0002-1359-9572, UNSW Sydney), Vincent J Cornelisse (0000-0003-0657-9677, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia), Timothy R Broady (0000-0002-4341-1868, UNSW Sydney), Timmy Lockwood (NSW Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia), Anna McNulty (0000-0003-3174-1242, UNSW Sydney), Valerie Delpech (0000-0002-9952-8109, North Coast Population and Public Health Directorate, Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia), Martin Holt (0000-0002-2586-8274, UNSW Sydney)
Ano2024
Volume34
Fascículo12
Páginas1161-1174
Data de publicação2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoQualitative Health Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557
EditoraSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/10497323241234482
PMID38462475
OpenAlexW4392843082
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas13
Referências citadas42

In May 2022, a global outbreak of mpox (formerly monkeypox virus) affected thousands of mainly gay and bisexual men. Mpox is usually a time-limited illness that can involve fever, pain, and skin lesions, but may require hospitalisation. There is scant research into the firsthand experiences of people affected by mpox, including experiences of symptoms, healthcare, and recovery. This study considers the different illness narratives of people who experienced mpox in Australia in 2022. In-depth interviews and 6-month follow-up interviews were conducted with 16 people, including 13 people diagnosed with mpox and three close contacts. All participants were cisgender gay or bisexual men living in Australia. Participants’ accounts described minor to severe periods of sickness, negative and stigmatising experiences engaging with healthcare, and some participants experienced long-term effects on their sexual well-being and complications from mpox. The emergency outbreak context meant that mpox was highly distressing, making it difficult to manage and producing varying forms of disruption to everyday life. Mpox was narrated as disruptive in different ways: as a minor interruption to holiday plans, a prolonged period of poor health, or a biographically disruptive event prompting a re-evaluation of sexual values and health. This analysis demonstrates that an unfamiliar emergent disease outbreak related to sexual practices and sociality can reconfigure personal life and sexual well-being, suggesting a need to focus on providing quality patient care in outbreaks of mpox and other infectious diseases

Art · Medical emergency · Narrative · Outbreak · Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research · Medicine · Nursing · Poxvirus research and outbreaks · Psychology · Zoonotic diseases and public health · Virology