Gay Barcelona: the bt monthly parti

Monday morng, 17 July 2023, Barcelona, Spa. Another hot day is about to beg. It follows a by weekend that saw hundreds of thoands of people e together for the Barcelona Pri Para – a rt of lour, mic and dance that lls for LGBTQI+ rights. Some of the Pri ftival-goers are here this morng at Barcelona Checkpot, a muny-based centre that supports gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men (GBMSM), and transgenr women, focg on the tectn of HIV and other sexually transmted fectns. The centre also works closely wh the health at the centre, about 50 people will get vaccated agast mpox (monkeypox), a disease that the current global outbreak has been affectg predomantly GBMSM. “Mpox s are much lower now Spa [pared to last summer]. But we have never stopped the mpox vaccatns and are seeg an ongog mand,” says Angel Rivero Calaf, Barcelona Checkpot’s Medil Calaf ntu, “Many people want to plete the mpox vacce seri and are g for the send dose. We are vaccatg everyone who is affected, cludg sex workers or migrants who might or might not have a medil rd.”“Mpox vaccatn is val”Santiago Curtido is om Paraguay, and me to Barcelona to plete his studi tnal management about a year ago. Today, he is at Barcelona Checkpot for his send mpox vacce dose. Courteo and soft-spoken, Curtido says that he has been ncerned about mpox, but sce gettg his first dose at the end of May, he’s been feelg more secure. He explas, “I thk mpox vaccatn is val. It’s important that people at risk get vaccated and are not aaid of vaccatn. I was Paraguay when I first heard about mpox. Once Barcelona, I got more rmatn and found out about the possibily of gettg vaccated through Barcelona Checkpot.” Curtido adds that he has been imprsed by the array of health and muny-based servic and rourc his new town. A French natnal, Nilas Ricchi me to Barcelona for a trag urse. He fell love wh the cy and cid to stay. That was 15 years ago. A profsnal dancer, he travels a lot wh his dance pany and outsi of Europe.Ricchi has not had mpox and do not know anyone who has had eher. He adms that he has not been that ncerned about mpox, but his life recently changed – he is no longer married – and he believ is important to get vaccated to protect himself and , he is at Barcelona Checkpot for his first mpox vacce dose, and will e back for the send dose about a month’s time.  “It’s okay wantg to go on wh one’s life, but ’s important to do wh re, and be nsirate towards one’s and others’ health,” he says. “We don’t know how mpox will evolve, so preventn is key. It’s also important to ntue to nvey that mpox is still here, and for people to know that there are solutns to tackle this disease.” Ricchi adds, “People speak ls about now. This is why I thk ’s important to ntue havg mpaigns on mpox, targetg pecially younger people.” Summer events, travel and mpox Gtavo Moa, who is at the centre for his first mpox vacce dose, explas, “There are a lot of events and people travel more durg the summer. Here, the Barcelona Circu event will start soon and we will have more ntacts, so ’s important to stay alert and protect yourself and others. Sce vacc are available and n help lower the risk of gettg fected and passg on mpox, why not benef om this?” Moa is well spoken and his voice fills wh passn when talkg about the GBMSM muny. His msage to health stutns? “It’s important that health stutns unrstand that our muny has needs – that they need to support as we are also cizens and people wh rights. When the mpox outbreak started, our muny raised s voice to get the support we need. Yet we shouldn’t be listened to only when we raise our voice, but on every day of the year.” Moa pots out, “Even if this muny is impacted by this disease the most, don’t mean that this health issue was generated by the muny. The bt solutn to tackle mpox is accs to rmatn and vaccatn.” His msage to his wir muny is equally direct: “I enurage everyone to get vaccated.” “The health of one person n impact the health of a muny”Back at Barcelona Checkpot, people ntue to arrive for mpox vaccatn. The staff is welg and easy-gog, and if visors have any hatn or fear, those seem to quickly fall away. Michael Mlbroek, Barcelona Checkpot’s Print, remarks that what imprsed him the most durg the height of the mpox outbreak was his staff’s attu. “They already had their hands full, and then mpox me. Wh mpox, wasn’t jt about attendg to people’s physil needs but their emotnal needs too – to alleviate the anxiety people uld feel towards the new circumstanc their liv.”Mlbroek reflects, “We haven’t lost one moment. When vacc started beg available, the day we received them we would ll and make appotments, and the next day we would admister the vacc. We are the only muny-based centre to offer mpox vaccatn Catalonia.” Thgs have changed sce last summer, but Barcelona Checkpot is not placent. “When mpox s went down, people started feelg more relaxed. But we need to stay alert. Our msage ntu to be: e and get vaccated, e for the send vacce dose, and jt know that mpox is still here. We need to ntue creatg awarens sce the health of one person n impact the health of a muny,” says where are we now?While mpox s are low now the WHO European Regn, mpox has not gone away, and some untri have seen a rise s. Progrs towards elimatg mpox is at risk if we turn away. WHO/Europe, through s mpaign “Elimatg mpox: Placg affected populatns at the heart of our rponse”, urg untri to provi staed rourc, crease vigilance and lower barriers to vaccatn and treatment so that mpox n be ntrolled and eventually elimated the Regn. To reach that goal, the work of muny-based anizatns such as Barcelona Checkpot ntu to be val.