Black LGBTQ community concerned monkeypox response is inadequate

Historic inequities in health care and current disparities in vaccine distribution have Black gay men worried they could be seeing a repeat of the response and stigma that came with the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

In July, a 35-year-old Black man from the Washington, D.C. area went from experiencing Covid-like symptoms to watching his body be overtaken by the aggravating, blistering boils of monkeypox. And yet, as he endured the agony and uncertainty that came with the disease, he said he had other, more pressing concerns.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous because of concerns related to the stigma associated with the disease, said he was alarmed by how difficult it was to find information on monkeypox and his nbcnews.com reports.