Monkeypox Surge: WHO Chief Urges At-Risk Men To Reduce Number Of Sexual Partners

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that those at risk of contracting the disease should take measures to protect themselves.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98 per cent of the monkeypox cases detected since the outbreaks emerged in May were among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. He has advised men at risk of contracting monkeypox to reduce the number of sexual partners.

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The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has advised men at risk of contracting monkeypox to consider reducing the number of sexual partners they have "for the moment", the Associated Press (AP) reported. The advice from the WHO Chief came after the United Nations agency declared monkeypox a global emergency on July 21, 2022, due to increasing cases of the zoonotic disease in several countries. 

The WHO chief said 98 per cent of the monkeypox cases detected since the outbreaks emerged in May were among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Ghebreyesus said that those at risk of contracting the disease should take measures to protect themselves.

Quoting the WHO Chief, the AP report said that means "making safe choices for yourself and others, for men who have sex with men". He added that for the moment, this includes men reducing the number of sexual partners they have.

Ghebreyesus also said that infectious individuals should isolate themselves and avoid gatherings involving close physical contact. He added that people should get contact details for new sexual partners in case they need to follow up later.

What Does The CDC Recommend?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended avoiding skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that could be monkeypox, but has not suggested that men who have sex with men reduce their sexual partners. 

According to WHO officials, monkeypox could infect anyone in close contact with a patient of their contaminated clothing or bedsheets. Monkeypox could be more severe in vulnerable populations such as among children or pregnant women, the WHO has warned. 

Over 19,000 cases have been reported in more than 75 countries. However, deaths due to monkeypox have only been reported in Africa.

What Do Other WHO Experts Say?

Dr Rosamund Lewis, the WHO technical lead for monkeypox, said one of the main modes of exposure for monkeypox is through direct contact, close contact, skin-to-skin contact, possibly even face-to-face contact, exposure to droplets or virus that may be in the mouth, according to the report.

Experts had determined the monkeypox outbreak was "clearly transmitted during sex", Andy Seale, a WHO adviser on HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, said. He also said that experts had not yet concluded whether or not monkeypox was a sexually transmitted infection.

The messaging around the need for gay and bisexual men to reduce their number of sexual partners was "coming from the communities themselves", Seale said. He added that this was possibly only "a short-term message as we hope that the outbreak of course will be short-lived". 

According to Dr Hugh Adler, a physician who treats monkeypox patients in the United Kingdom, the virus was being transmitted during sex and sexual networks and anonymous sex with untraceable partners were facilitating its spread. Quoting Adler, the report said it is just as likely that monkeypox was always capable of transmitting and presenting like this, but it had not been formally reported or so widespread before.

British authorities issued new guidance last week advising doctors that people with just one or two lesions might be infectious with monkeypox, the report said. This may potentially complicate efforts to stop transmission of monkeypox.