A man in Texas who recently came down with a case of Monkeypox has bravely shared his story to his 13,000 followers on social media, urging them to: "Spread the word, not the virus!"
The Houston-based man, who goes by the name Silver Steele on Instagram, posted several images to his page that detailed how his Monkeypox progressed over several weeks.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Monkeypox is a rare disease that comes from the same family of viruses as the smallpox virus.
"The source of the virus remains unknown," the CDC states, before adding that: "African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) might harbor the virus and infect people."
Steele first revealed his Monkeypox diagnosis on July 25 in a short video on Instagram.
"Just giving you guys a close up look of my lesions," he begins, before describing them as "painful."
The caption to his video stresses the importance of getting vaccinated against the illness: "Regarding prevention so you don't end up like me: try to get vaccinated!!"
"Also this is a droplet virus so it spreads by kissing, sharing drinks, or even touching someone who has lesions/blisters on their skin! Use lots of hand sanitizer, wave hello instead of hugs and kisses, and be cautious at crowded events, especially ones where people are sweating!" Steele added.
Following his updates, Steele decided to post a collage of his daily selfies, in which the Monkeypox sores can be seen under his lips. He did this in an effort to educate others on how the illness - which the CDC states can typically last 2-4 weeks - can present.
He captioned the collage: "I'm providing this to all of you so you can see an example of what the virus looks like over time. My goal with this is not to gross anyone out, but to educate."
The man, whose bio describes him as a "40-something year old," continues: "Not everyone displays symptoms the exact same way but I've been told by more than one professional that my case is a 'clinically perfect' example and it's being used in CDC demonstrations and medical journals."
In a final update, Steele showed what he looked like on day 22 of his Monkeypox illness.
"All my scabs have fallen off. This is also known as the lesions 'resolving' and marks the end of my 'contagious' period," Steele stated in the caption.
He concludes by saying: "Thank you everyone for your continued well-wishes and for getting vaccinated!! Trust me, you do NOT want this!"
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