Tom Winch bravely shares his mpox story to raise awareness

Tom Winch’s experience with mpox, previously known as monkeypox, started with a single blemish on his nose. He’s sharing his story to raise awareness.

It began as a single painful spot on his nose. But what appeared to be an innocent blemish quickly turned into a searing wound.

Thirty-three-year-old Tom Winch, who is the Herald Sun’s social media editor, is bravely sharing his story about having mpox, previously known as monkeypox, to raise awareness about the virus.

Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause agonising skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, fever, debilitating fatigue, and muscle pain.

It spreads through skin-to-skin contact, kissing, and even close-range breathing.

In some cases, rectal lesions develop, which are extremely painful.

In August 2024, Australia recorded the second highest number of confirmed cases of mpox in the world.

For Tom, it all began a week before Christmas.

Tom Winch said that he first realised he had mpox after a sore appeared on his nose.

He had spent time with a man he knew well and shared a simple kiss.

Days later, on Christmas morning, his phone buzzed with a message.

“It was from my friend. He said: ‘I’m so sorry … I’ve just found out I have mpox, please watch out for symptoms, I’m sorry’,” Tom recalled.

Soon after a small whitehead appeared on his nose. Within hours, his skin became inflamed, pulsing with pain.

“At first, I thought it was just a pimple, but by the end of the day, it had grown and formed a crater,” Tom said.

The next morning, that same small pimple had developed into a large scab and new sores emerged. One on his shoulder. One on his face. Another hidden in his scalp.

“So by that time, I was like, okay, it is definitely mpox,” Tom said.

Tom Winch wants to increase awareness about mpox.

He said the pain was unbearable. Each lesion burned like fire, spreading with intensity.

Then came the exhaustion, so overwhelming it consumed him.

He was too weak to answer his phone. Too drained to even send a text.

A friend, concerned by his unusual silence, resorted to calling the police to perform a welfare check.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been that tired in my entire life,” Tom said.

“I just completely shut down.”

Though he only had four lesions and a week of debilitating fatigue, it can be worse for others who can have sores spread across their body.

Tom had been unable to get the vaccine years earlier because he wasn’t deemed high risk enough.

Sexually active gay and bi-sexual men, along with people living with HIV are among those eligible for the vaccine.

The mpox vaccine was initially in short supply globally in 2022, but by early 2023 there has been enough stock.

Tom had been booked in for an appointment at LGBTIQ+ health service Thorne Harbour to get the mpox vaccine but caught it right when he was due to go.

He praised the health service for helping with the vaccine rollout, but felt like guidelines could be clearer.

A Victorian Department of Health spokeswoman said they had been delivering a co-ordinated mpox response.

“This includes a vaccination program and vaccine uptake campaign, which has been underway since August 2022,” she said.

“The response also includes a comprehensive communications and engagement campaign to clinicians and priority cohorts.

“This includes multiple chief health officer advisories, media engagement, in-clinic information and additional vaccine clinic pop-ups to ensure the free vaccine is front of mind with eligible Victorians.”

There have been almost 550 cases of mpox detected in Victoria in the past 12 months, data shows.

In NSW there were 722 cases last year, while in Queensland there were 127.

Mpox has mostly impacted gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, although anyone can be affected.

Two doses of mpox vaccine, given at least 28 days apart, are required for the best protection.

A free mpox vaccine is widely available for eligible people through sexual health clinics, hospitals, general practitioners, Aboriginal health services, councils and pharmacies.

‘Traumatic experience’ at emergency department

Another person who contracted mpox and is HIV positive has told of how he felt let down when he tried to get help at an emergency department.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said when lesions started to appear on his lip he booked an appointment with his GP.

“I heard that I’d been exposed to mpox and it came up as a cold sore on my lip and then it progressed and went all sorts of places,” he said.

When he did the test it came back positive.

Mpox causes painful sores on the skin.

“My doctor told me ‘if it gets to the point where you’re concerned or not able to manage the pain take yourself to emergency”,” he said.

He praised the Victorian Department of Health and his doctor for their sensitivity with the situation, along with their support and guidance.

But when the pain got too much the man decided to go to the infectious diseases clinic at the Alfred to get the Tecovirimat TPOXX antiviral treatment.

However when he presented to the emergency department and told them about his mpox diagnosis he said he was advised to sit among everyone else for three to four hours.

“I assumed I would be fast-tracked because I had an infectious disease and it presented on my face,” he said.

In August 2024, Australia recorded the second highest number of confirmed cases of mpox in the world.

“I was seated in the main waiting area and I was just treated like any other person.

“I was sitting with groups of people around me.

“When I saw my GP I was in an isolated treatment room with my doctor so why am I in a waiting room with other sick patients?”

When he was finally seen by a doctor he said there seemed to be doubt he had mpox.

He said the doctor also spoke to him about the dangers of unprotected sex, even though mpox can be transmitted through kissing or even bed linen.

“It was really upsetting, I felt like there was doubt on the reason I was there,” he said.

The man said that he was eventually put through to the infectious disease clinic and he had the most “brilliant clinicians” who offered all the sensitivity and care that had been lacking at the ED.

The man said that he would be hesitant to go back to the Alfred based on the experience and wanted it to change for others.

“Considering the infectious disease clinic is world-leading I was amazed by how it was managed,” he said.

A spokeswoman from Alfred Health said that they made every effort to review patients in a timely fashion to keep them, their visitors and staff safe.

“The team in our Emergency and Trauma Centre has clear guidelines for managing all infectious diseases and is very familiar with these processes,” she said.

“If we fall short of achieving our best, we value hearing from our patients so that we may understand their experience better and learn from any event. This can be done through our Patient Feedback and Liaison team.

“If someone believes they have mpox, or has had an exposure, we urge them to visit their nearest emergency department and let the staff know their symptoms on arrival.”