“We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission,” said Heymann.Ī German government report to lawmakers, obtained by the AP, said it expected to see further cases and that the risk of catching monkeypox "mainly appears to lie with sexual contacts among men.” Monkeypox has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond Africa, where it is endemic in animals. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergencies department, said the leading theory to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission among gay and bisexual men at two raves held in Spain and Belgium.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Why is monkeypox being connected to gay, bisexual men? The infection has been detected in squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, and some species of monkeys.Īlso read: After UK and Europe, rare monkeypox case found in US: What you must know about the virus The WHO says that cases occur close to tropical rainforests inhabited by animals that carry the virus. Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox’, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monkeypox is a zoonosis, a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans. Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same Orthopoxvirus genus that also includes smallpox-causing variola virus. Monkeypox cases have already been detected in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, and Australia.Īlso read: How prepared is India for a monkeypox outbreak as world sees 92 cases?Īs the cases continue to increase, the WHO is investigating whether some outbreaks spread within the gay community.Ī leading adviser to the WHO described the unprecedented outbreak as a “random event” that might be explained by risky sexual behaviour at two recent mass events in Europe.
The United Nations health agency also added that it would provide further guidance and recommendations in coming days for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox. Even as the world continues to reel under the effects of COVID-19, concerns are rising over the recent outbreak of rare monkeypox infection in different parts of the world.Īs of Saturday, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported from 12 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.