'This is probably illegal': CDC quietly erases mpox guidance tied to Pride events

A CDC webpage titled “Safer Sex, Social Gatherings, and Monkeypox” was removed and now returns a “page not found” message. An archived version provided explicit guidance for navigating events, sex clubs, festivals, hookups, parties, and intimate contact during an mpox outbreak. The guidance stated mpox could spread through close, sexual, or intimate contact and addressed realities such as anonymous sex, commercial venues, and multiple partners. It recommended vaccination, avoiding sexual contact when symptomatic, washing fabrics and sex toys, exchanging contact information when possible, and reducing skin-to-skin exposure in high-contact settings. It also identified back rooms, saunas, sex clubs, and private or public sex parties as higher-risk environments. Some linked educational PDFs remain accessible via CDC media servers.

"As of Thursday evening, the CDC page titled “Safer Sex, Social Gatherings, and Monkeypox” returned a notification that reads, “The page you're looking for was not found.” The Advocate reviewed an archived version of the webpage preserved by the Wayback Machine, most recently captured on May 11, which featured a candid piece of federal health communication offering guidance on navigating events, sex clubs, festivals, hookups, parties, and intimate contact during an infectious disease outbreak."

"The page warned that mpox could spread through “close, sexual, or intimate contact” and acknowledged realities federal health agencies have often historically struggled to discuss plainly, including anonymous sex, commercial sex venues, multiple partners, and the practical ways people reduce risk in the real world. It advised readers to get vaccinated, avoid sexual contact when symptomatic, wash fabrics and sex toys, exchange contact information with partners when possible, and reduce skin-to-skin exposure in high-contact settings."

"It also specifically referenced “back rooms, saunas, sex clubs, or private and public sex parties” as environments where transmission risk could increase. The Advocate also reviewed several CDC educational materials previously linked from the now-deleted webpage. Although the landing page itself has been removed, some of the underlying PDFs remain accessible through CDC media servers."

Read at Advocate.com