Targeting men who have sex with men for mpox messaging may increase stigmatization, scapegoating, and restrictive policies directed at the LGBTQ+ community, according to a new study published by Choi and Fox in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers randomly assigned 1,500 individuals in South Korea to receive mpox communication involving either neutral informational messages that avoided mentioning at-risk groups or the virus’ origins, messages that informed recipients of the virus’ African origins, or messages specifying that men who have sex with men be at the highest risk of infection with the virus. They found that messages specifying at-risk groups may strengthen policies restricting LGBTQ+ events—by about 7% vs neutral messages—whereas messages mentioning the virus’ origins did not impact policies restricting travel to and from Africa. The researchers concluded that messages targeting at-risk groups could result in stigmatization and persecution. In a companion press release on the findings from The State University of New York at Albany, study author Ashley Fox, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College, commented, “It’s a double-edged sword…. On the one hand, identifying most at-risk groups can heighten risk perceptions in affected groups and ensure that resources are being appropriately targeted. However, identifying groups most at risk also carries with it the possibility of stigmatizing those same groups in ways that can be counterproductive to public health responses.”