Limit number of sexual partners, WHO urges men most at risk

GENEVA • As monkeypox cases surge globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday called on the group currently most affected by the virus - men who have sex with men - to limit their sexual partners.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who on Saturday declared monkeypox a global health emergency, told reporters that the best way to protect against infection was "to reduce the risk of exposure".

"For men who have sex with men, this includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering sex with new partners and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow-up if needed," he said.

A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic.

Dr Tedros said on Wednesday that more than 18,000 cases have now been reported to the WHO from 78 countries, with 70 per cent of cases reported in Europe and 25 per cent in the Americas.

Five deaths have been reported in the outbreak since May, and about 10 per cent of cases end up in hospital to manage the pain, he said.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week found 98 per cent of infected people were gay or bisexual men, and 95 per cent of cases were transmitted through sexual activity.

But experts say transmission of the disease, which causes a blistering rash, appears to mainly happen via close, physical contact, and monkeypox has so far not been labelled a sexually transmitted infection.

Experts warn against thinking that only one community can be affected by the disease, stressing that it spreads through regular skin-to-skin contact, and through droplets or touching contaminated bedding or towels in a household setting.

"Anyone exposed can get monkeypox," Dr Tedros said, urging countries to take action to reduce the risk of transmission to other vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women and those who are immunosuppressed.

The WHO has warned against stigma around the disease, which could dissuade people from seeking treatment. "Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus, and can fuel the outbreak," said Dr Tedros.

Dr Andy Seale, of the WHO's sexually transmitted infections programme, stressed that the messaging around the need for gay and bisexual men to reduce their number of sexual partners came from the communities themselves. But he said this was only "a short-term message, as we hope that the outbreak of course will be short-lived".

The WHO recommends targeted vaccination for those exposed to someone with monkeypox or for those at high risk of exposure, including healthcare workers and those with multiple sexual partners. "At this time, we do not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox," said Dr Tedros.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE