“Anything that we enjoy seems to have terrible consequences”: Mpox illness narratives amongst people diagnosed and close contacts in Australia.
ACHEEV External Seminar: Anthony Smith, MPOX Illness Narratives
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Zoom
In May 2022, a global outbreak of mpox (formerly monkeypox virus) emerged, affecting thousands of mainly gay and bisexual men.
In this study Dr Anthony Smith considers the different illness narratives of people who directly experienced mpox. Dr Smith draws on in-depth interviews, including 6-month follow-up interviews, with 13 people diagnosed with mpox in Australia, as well as 3 close contacts.
This study provides insight into how an unfamiliar disease outbreak reconfigures personal life and relationships with health, and tensions between public health and clinical responses to disease.