In race for monkeypox vaccines, experts see repeat of COVID

[crickets]

6. You are mistaken, but it's not your fault that you've been given this impression. (see eta)

Unfortunately, some media coverage has been irresponsibly misleading on this point. Sexual contact is one way to be exposed to monkeypox, but certainly not the only one.

https://www.menshealth.com/health/a40717879/monkeypox-misinformation-std/

This week, the Associated Press reported that the spread of monkeypox could "represent the dawn of a new sexually transmitted disease" and become "an entrenched STD" like HIV. This is factually incorrect. Medical professionals on social media were quick to point out the flaws in the AP's statement, clarifying that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease and that describing it as such is disinformation. [snip]

There have been comparisons between the monkeypox outbreak and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, when misinformation and social taboo surrounding the virus led to the widely held assumption that only gay men were susceptible, a myth which has been disproven but which nevertheless perpetuated the demonization of the LGBTQ+ community. This belief was bolstered by the conservative idea that queer sex is dirty, shameful and immoral, and that the people contracting HIV somehow deserved what happened to them—a lie that simultaneously left other demographics vulnerable to the disease as they thought themselves safe, with no real understanding of how the virus spread. [snip]

According to the CDC, the monkeypox virus spreads via close person-to-person contact; this can include through both skin touch and respiratory secretions during kissing, hugging and sex, but there are other ways that it can be transmitted, such as touching items that have been exposed to the infectious rash or bodily fluids. Critically, the CDC website states that "anyone can get monkeypox if they have close personal contact with someone who has symptoms of monkeypox."

Hear that? Anyone.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/verify/health-verify/monkeypox-is-not-considered-a-std-fact-check/536-f979142a-8c18-4c05-ab6f-7da58e6524e2

Monkeypox isn’t considered a sexually transmitted disease in the “classic sense” because it’s not spread through semen, vaginally or only via sex, Robert L. Murphy, M.D., said in a news release published by Northwestern University. [snip]

The CDC says monkeypox is transmitted when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials that are contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).

Animal-to-human contact can occur if an infected animal bites or scratches a person. Human-to-human transmission primarily occurs through close physical contact with bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, skin lesions or recently contaminated objects, the CDC and World Health Organization say.

Saralyn Mark, M.D., former senior medical advisor to The White House under President Barack Obama told VERIFY there does not need to be intimate skin contact so non-sexual contact can infect.

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Edited to add: Oops! Didn't mean to pile on. There were no other responses while I was working on this post. I'm leaving it up for informational purposes.