新報告揭示：未出櫃男同性戀和雙性戀在麻疹疫情中缺乏治療接觸

THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) - In the midst of the recent global outbreak of measles, a new study has uncovered a concerning phenomenon: many undisclosed gay and bisexual men are failing to receive treatment for infectious measles. Experts say this is not because they fear seeking treatment will reveal their sexual orientation, but because their isolation from the wider LGBT community has resulted in limited access to treatment information.

紐約州伊薩卡康乃爾大學傳播學博士後研究員Joel Le Forestier是這項研究的主要作者。他表示：“我們從這項研究中學到的教訓是，融入社區對於獲得治療和資訊是非常有益的。” Le Forestier進一步解釋說，成為社區的一部分不僅能夠讓人們了解到公共衛生資源，這是其中之一的好處。

這項新發現於1月12日發表在《心理科學》期刊上。研究團隊在2022年8月MPOX爆發高峰期間以及兩個月後，分別對來自澳洲、英國、加拿大和美國的同性戀、雙性戀和性少數男性進行了線上問卷調查。

Le Forestier and his team initially thought that not being openly identified might be a deterrent to some men seeking MPOX treatment. This hypothesis stemmed from his observations during his doctoral studies in Toronto, when he noticed that the majority of people waiting in line for the measles vaccine were openly gay and bisexual men.

However, a friend of Le Forestier's offered an alternative theory that these unidentified men may not even know about the MPOX vaccine because they are not involved in the community and therefore do not have access to these resources.

The results of the study seem to support this theory, Le Forestier said, "We found that those who were not publicly identified did worry about being 'out of the loop' by seeking out MPOX resources, but that this was not directly related to their reduced likelihood of accessing these resources. In fact, if they knew that MPOX treatments were available, they were inclined to seek them out, regardless of whether they were publicly identified or not."

Therefore, the question of how to provide information about MPOX prevention and treatment to at-risk populations who are not deeply involved in the LGBT community has become an important one, and Le Forestier argues that it has to do with knowledge of the resources and the level of community involvement, and not just out of fear of being exposed.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information about MPOX and its prevention and care, providing an important health resource for the public.

Source : Cornell University, Press Release, January 16, 2024