WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of monkeypox cases detected since outbreaks emerged in May were among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. He urged those at risk to take steps to protect themselves. “This means making safe choices for yourself and others, for men who have sex with men,” Tedros said. “This includes, for now, reducing the number of sexual partners you have.” Infectious people should isolate themselves and avoid gatherings that involve close physical contact, while people should get contact information for any new sexual partners in case they need to follow up later, the WHO chief said. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not suggest that men who have sex with men reduce their sexual partners, only that they avoid skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that could be monkey pox. WHO officials stressed that monkeypox can infect anyone in close contact with a patient or their contaminated clothing or bed linen. The health service has warned that the disease could be more serious in vulnerable populations, such as among children or pregnant women. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST More than 19,000 cases have been reported in more than 75 countries. deaths have been reported only in Africa. “We know very clearly that one of the main routes of exposure for this particular disease is through direct contact, close contact, skin-to-skin contact, possibly even face-to-face, exposure to droplets or viruses that can be mouthed,” said Dr. Rosamund Lewis, WHO’s technical lead on monkeypox. Andy Seale, a WHO adviser on HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, said experts had determined the monkeypox outbreak was “clearly transmitted through sex”, but said they had not yet concluded whether or not it was a sexually transmitted infection. Seale stressed that the messages about the need for gay and bisexual men to reduce the number of sexual partners “came from the communities themselves”. But he said this was probably only “a short-term message as we hope the outbreak will of course be short-lived”. Dr Hugh Adler, who treats monkeypox patients in the UK, said the virus is transmitted during sex and that sex networks and anonymous sex with undetectable partners make it easier to spread. “It is equally possible that monkeypox has always been capable of transmitting and presenting like this, but it has not been formally reported or so widespread before,” he said. Last week British authorities issued new guidance advising doctors that people with just one or two lesions could be infectious from monkeypox, potentially complicating efforts to stop transmission. The European Union’s health commissioner urged the bloc’s 27 member states on Wednesday to step up their efforts to tackle outbreaks in the EU, which she called “the epicenter of detected cases”. In a letter to European health ministers obtained by The Associated Press, Stella Kyriakides called for “reinforced, concerted and concerted action.” “There is no time for complacency and we must continue to work together to control the epidemic,” he wrote.
