During the early days of the AIDS crisis, LGBTQ bars around the country became hubs of activism and support for the community at large. Drag queens held shows raising money for those living with HIV and AIDS. People grieved together in bars and clubs. And as public health information became available, bars offered sex education materials and classes. Those efforts paved the way for what are now considered common bar practices, like being able to walk into a drag bar in New York and listen to a hosted talk about the benefits of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medication that reduces the transmission of HIV. Many bars around the country include a cork board with testing information or a fishbowl full of condoms.⁠ ⁠ In recent months, Multnomah County health officials have partnered with the area’s LGBTQ bars once again, this time tackling a different disease: MPV, sometimes called monkeypox. At bars like CC Slaughters and Scandals, Portlanders will find information about preventing the spread of MPV, symptoms, getting tested, and more.⁠ ⁠ MPV is a disease caused by a virus that involves a commonly painful or itchy rash that resembles pimples or blisters. Some people who get MPV also experience flu-like symptoms including fever and swollen lymph nodes. It’s primarily spread through prolonged physical contact, though it can be spread through bodily fluids or through exposure to contaminated bedding or clothing. The most recent MPV outbreak in the United States has spread rapidly through communities of men who have sex with men, though categorizing MPV as a sexually transmitted infection would be inaccurate. That’s the kind of information Multnomah County is trying to get out to the public in general — in particular the LGBTQ community, which is being disproportionally affected during this outbreak.⁠ ⁠ Learn more about the county's efforts to spread public health information by finding the full story in our bio. 📸: @jacksonglidden