“I first became fully aware of it and noticed symptoms Friday, June 17,” Ford informed CNN from county-ordered isolation in his dwelling in Los Angeles, the place he may have to keep for a couple of extra weeks till he’s now not contagious.
He had hoped to go to Pride in New York final week. “But that was not in the cards,” he stated.
In the video, Ford talks about how the virus spreads, and reveals a few of his lesions.
Ford stated he had been vaguely conscious of a monkeypox outbreak via Twitter, however hadn’t identified how shut he had gotten to the outbreak till a pal reached out to let him know Ford could have been uncovered.
Ford stated he instantly began doing a totally physique verify.
“I noticed a few spots that I hadn’t noticed before,” stated Ford, 30. He stated the spots regarded like pimples or ingrown hairs, so he went to a clinic in West Hollywood for a check.
Ford stated a health care provider took a swab and some days later the check got here again optimistic for monkeypox.
Ford stated in actuality, the check merely confirmed what he already new. The spots he discovered now not regarded like pimples.
“They very quickly got bigger and would fill up,” he stated they usually have been painful, notably the spots in additional delicate areas.
He stated he additionally felt like he had the flu.
People with monkeypox can develop a fever, headache, muscle pains, chills, swollen lymph nodes and really feel drained. He stated he additionally had night time sweats, a sore throat and a cough.
Some of the lesions harm a lot that he went again to the physician, who gave him ache remedy
“That proved really useful because I was finally able to sleep through the night,” Ford stated. “But even the painkillers did not fully numb it. It just made it kind of bearable enough that I could go back to sleep.”
In the video, Ford is obvious spoken as he seems to be instantly into digital camera and warns others.
“Hi, my name is Matt. I have monkeypox, this sh*t sucks and you don’t want it,” Ford tells his viewers.
Giving a tour of a few of his 25 lesions, he factors to his face, his arms, and the spots on his abs.
“These are really not cute,” he says for emphasis.
While the illness is extra generally present in Central and West Africa, this present outbreak has hit international locations which have seen few, if any, instances in the previous.
The county confirmed in an electronic mail to CNN Thursday that it sends isolation orders to people who check optimistic for monkeypox. Ford stated he acquired his discover through electronic mail from the county on June 24.
Last Friday, LA county confirmed that a few of the instances have been amongst homosexual and bisexual males. Some of the males attended a handful of enormous occasions. The county stated it has been working with organizers to notify attendees about potential publicity.
Since Ford first informed pals he is sick with monkeypox, others have let him know that they too have gotten sick.
Concerned that not sufficient people knew about it, Ford acquired the thought to do the TikTok video and to share it.
“It’s become clear to me since I got it that it’s spreading quickly,” Ford stated. “That’s a big reason I’m trying to speak out and raise awareness about it.”
Reaction to the video has been “great,” he stated. He’s been inspired since a number of people have informed him that they did not find out about it earlier than they usually’ve thanked him for spreading the phrase.
Ford additionally hopes the video will help finish the stigma connected to the illness.
“There shouldn’t be any stigma,” Ford stated. “It’s just a bad turn of events.”
“A lot of times I think silence is the enemy,” Ford added. “I’m glad to be able to inform people and hope more people will be safe.”