Monkeypox: WHO chief advises at-risk men to reduce number of sexual partners
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared monkeypox a global health emergency last Saturday, told reporters that the best method to guard against infection was to "lower the risk of exposure."
FollowAs the number of monkeypox cases in the world rises, the World Health Organization urged men who have sex with males to limit their sexual partners on Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared monkeypox a global health emergency last Saturday, told reporters that the best method to guard against infection was to "lower the risk of exposure."
"For males who have sex with men, this means temporarily lowering your number of sexual partners, contemplating intercourse with new partners, and sharing contact information with any new partners to enable follow-up if necessary," he stated.
Since early May, there has been an increase in monkeypox cases outside of the West and Central African nations where the illness has long been prevalent. Tedros said on Wednesday that more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported to WHO from 78 countries, with Europe accounting for 70% of cases and the Americas accounting for 25%.
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Five fatalities have been documented in the outbreak since May, and he estimates that 10% of those infected end up in the hospital for pain management.
Males who have sex with men account for 98 per cent of instances. According to a research published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, 98% of affected patients were homosexual or bisexual men, and 95% of cases were transmitted through sexual activity.
According to experts, the disease, which creates a blistering rash, appears to be transferred mostly through intimate physical contact, and monkeypox has not yet been classified as a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
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Experts further advise against assuming that the disease can just harm one group, emphasising that it spreads through frequent skin-to-skin contact as well as droplets or touching infected bedding or towels in a home environment. WHO also recommends targeted immunisation for persons who have been exposed to monkeypox or are at high risk of exposure, such as health professionals and those who have several sexual partners.
