Swinging during covid and monkeypox?

[LustyDesires 22]

Covid has been a rough time to say the least.

But lately monkeypox has been spreading like wildfire.

 

How have you gone about swinging during these times?

 

Have you just jumped in regardless of the risks?

 

Taken a break from swinging/sex with others?

 

I ask, mostly because my wife and I have been wanting to arrange a mfm threesome,

And or to attend a local gloryhole, but aren't sure if it's worth risking due to Monkeypox etc.

 

What are you guys personally doing?

[lcmim 1,078]

For us MFM with a known partner whose general other activity is known to us is safe enough. Parties and glory hole etc not so much.

[MidLifeFun 145]

Dating during the AIDS epidemic, not knowing who you were dating I figured unless she was dating a bi guy I had a better chance of another STD. 
Covid was another scare we still have that we are just becoming more at ease with. Monkey pox so far hasn’t been an issue. Our male friends are not bi or gay, could be our heads are in the sand. 

[NerdsAreFun 226]

Quote

Monkeypox spreads in a few ways.

• Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:
  • Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox.
  • Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.
  • Contact with respiratory secretions.

• This direct contact can happen during intimate contact, including:
  • Oral, anal, and vaginal sex or touching the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) of a person with monkeypox.
  • Hugging, massage, and kissing.
  • Prolonged face-to-face contact.
  • Touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with monkeypox and that have not been disinfected, such as bedding, towels, fetish gear, and sex toys.

• A pregnant person can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

It’s also possible for people to get monkeypox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal or by preparing or eating meat or using products from an infected animal.

A person with monkeypox can spread it to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Scientists are still researching:

• If the virus can be spread when someone has no symptoms
• How often monkeypox is spread through respiratory secretions, or when a person with monkeypox symptoms might be more likely to spread the virus through respiratory secretions.
• Whether monkeypox can be spread through semen, vaginal fluids, urine, or feces.

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/transmission.html

We'll continue to avoid clubs for the time being, though we still haven't got back to those since Covid, which is also back to high transmission levels here.

[NerdsAreFun 226]

And this fun bit of news today.

Quote

The report describes monkeypox as "very stable" in the environment and says it can live "for days to weeks in water, soil, and on refrigerated food." It adds that the virus can live for months to years inside of scabs.

The report does not say how long the virus can survive on surfaces, but the CDC said investigators found the live virus 15 days after a patient's home was left unoccupied, according to one study.

 

The CDC also said poxviruses like monkeypox can survive in linens, clothing and surfaces particularly well in dark, cool, dry environments. Porous materials like bedding and clothing may harbor live viruses for longer than nonporous materials like plastic, glass, or metal, the CDC said.

Other closely related orthopoxviruses can survive in a household-like environment for months.

Regarding decontamination, the DHS report said that, as of July 12, no data demonstrates the effectiveness of most common disinfectants against the monkeypox virus but bleach is recommended against emerging viruses.

https://www.newsweek.com/how-long-can-monkeypox-survive-food-scabs-1729618

Edited August 2, 2022 by NerdsAreFun

[njbm 2,860]

I fear Monkeypox will spread to bimale swingers from gay partners, then to swinger partners in the near future. You don’t have to be Nostradamus to figure that one out. No offense whatsoever to gay or bi males, it’s just where it is now. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by njbm

[NWAtlSwing 522]

Great information all around.

 

Like any other illness, it is something to worry about.

[LustyDesires 22]

On 8/2/2022 at 10:52 AM, njbm said:

I fear Monkeypox will spread to bimale swingers from gay partners, then to swinger partners in the near future. You don’t have to be Nostradamus to figure that one out. No offense whatsoever to gay or bi males, it’s just where it is now. 

Unfortunately, it is exactly what has happened. The sad part is in some parts, the vaccine isn't available to women.

 

The nature of the monkeypox virus is that it can also spread to children as all it takes is someone infected leaving the virus on a pet, fabric or surface—which then at some point is contacted by child or woman.

[njbm 2,860]

Slow CDC/Government response, just like covid. Doubling every 8 days now. 

[PeterJ 926]

The quote below is taken from an opinion piece currently up on the NY Times website. (There’s a paywall, but if you register I think you can get a few free articles.) The main theme regards communicating risk to the gay community. Most of us on this board are aware that currently monkeypox is mostly confined to “men who have sex with men.” 

 

But the brief passage below caught my attention: “A two-page leaflet by German health authorities to inform the public about monkeypox does make clear that spread is happening in places like sex clubs.” 

 

I’ve never been to a gay sex club, but I expect the risk factors associated with intimate contact with strangers are similar to straight sex clubs. I won’t be surprised if monkeypox becomes a significant risk for anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, who has sex with multiple partners. Just as njbm has repeatedly suggested that folks in this lifestyle who are age-eligible get vaccinated with the HPV vaccine, those of us who regularly have multiple sexual partners will probably well advised to get the monkeypox vaccine when it becomes more widely available.

 

[NerdsAreFun 226]

The ways that it spreads are certainly not limited to gay sex.  Gay men are merely the canaries in the coal mines as it were.

 

Saw a post from a nurse or doctor(forget) with a photo of someone with an obvious outbreak riding the subway.  He tried to tell him he had monkeypox and he needed to self isolate.  But the guy insisted he didn't have it because he wasn't gay so it must be something else...

Edited August 5, 2022 by NerdsAreFun

[Fundamental Law 2,882]

Recall that in the early days of HIV, people imagined themselves invulnerable so long as they were not Haitian, homosexual, heroin users, or hemophiliacs (requiring transfusions before there was a test of the blood supply). Of course, it turns out that the last vulnerability was the "fifth H"--being human. 

[njbm 2,860]

Not a good time for multiple partners, especially anonymous ones at sex clubs. 
Sorry to be Debbie Downer again. 

[lcmim 1,078]

21 hours ago, PeterJ said:

those of us who regularly have multiple sexual partners will probably well advised to get the monkeypox vaccine when it becomes more widely available.

 

You are correct there. Right now in my town it is limited to Gay men.

[Fundamental Law 2,882]

Yes, it's highly transmissible through skin-to-skin contact. Yes, vaccination is wise as the vaccines become available. Yes, it is now an authentic public health emergency. 

[NWAtlSwing 522]

When the Vax is abailable, I expect we will get it.

 

[hunterdonNJcpl 1,369]

For a brief shining moment this summer we were back - for the first time since 2018.  It looks like we're going back in our shell til monkeypox vaccines become generally available :(

[njbm 2,860]

We were invited to an upcoming house party. The host is a bimale. Some of the attendees have high swinging mileage. Hosts recently had covid, so no pre-testing by attendees. We are going to pass. 

[AndrewandAnn 360]

Covid? Unless someone has elected not be vaccinated, or meets some of the big risk factors (e.g., advanced age, extreme obesity, diabetes, asthma or other respiratory compromises, etc.), Covid is no longer considered a serious health risk by the medical community. And, if you haven't had Covid yet, you will. The notion that this was a disease that could be eradicated was a farce. It is more communicable today, even with the majority of the population vaccinated, than it was originally. The vaccine's role was to minimize the symptoms and diminish the chances of a patient being hospitalized. It does it job.

 

Monkeypox? Definitely a concern. If you swing, you already engage in a higher-risk activity. Monkeypox is primarily spread through intimate physical contact. It is quickly spreading through the gay community. It seems reasonable to believe it will find its way into other communities, particularly those with bi-sexual members and those that share multiple sex partners. Prudence suggests taking a hard pass until it gets under control.

[njbm 2,860]

If one had a smallpox vaccine circa 1960, would it be protective against monkeypox now?

[PeterJ 926]

20 minutes ago, njbm said:

If one had a smallpox vaccine circa 1960, would it be protective against monkeypox now?

My understanding, njbm, is that while it’s quite likely that a smallpox vaccination, even five decades ago, will still confirm a degree of protection against monkeypox, infectious disease researchers are unsure of the degree of protection — or even for sure if long-ago smallpox vaccination provides any immunity. I’m probably not going to call my college roommate who is a research professor of infectious diseases just to ask his opinion. But if the opportunity comes up in the course of our semi-regular conversations (there’s a memorial service for one of our mutual friends later this month) I will inquire.

[Robertobull 10]

Wife and I are both in the lifestyle, and both physicians, so this is a particularly interesting topic for us.

We have organized parties routinely after December 2021 when everyone was mostly vaccinated. Before the party (our usual 10 or 12 guests) everyone is required to send me an STD panel with negative results within one week. That has kept us safe. Wife and I boyh got the smallpox vaccine but it is not a requirement for our parties, but strict physical exam and symptom screening for monkepox is necessary since we have a few bisexual gentleman that engage sex with other men (and the swinging lifestyle is high risk regardless of orientation). It takes a lot of work, a lot of prep, and lots and lots of patience. But it’s all worth it. Our parties are sweaty, steamy fun and keeps is motivated until the next.