Limit Sexual Partners: WHO Advises Men At Risk Of Monkeypox

New Delhi: Amid rising cases of monkeypox, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised men at risk of the disease to consider “limiting sexual partners for now”. The best way to reduce the risk of exposure is to “make choices that are safe for yourself and others”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.Also Read – Monkeypox scare: Task force to be set up to guide government to curb spread of virus

“For men who have sex with men, this includes reducing your sexual partners, for the time being.” He also asked them to reconsider having sex with new partners.

Although 98 percent of cases are men who have sex with men, the WHO Director-General emphasized that anyone can be exposed to monkeypox. “Transmission can also occur through close contact with people in households such as hugging, kissing and using contaminated towels or bedding,” Ghebreyesus said.

“This is an epidemic that can be prevented if countries, communities and individuals take the necessary steps to prevent transmission and protect vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women and the immunosuppressed.”

Monkeypox is primarily spread by skin-to-skin contact, but it can also be transmitted through linen used by a person with monkeypox. Although it’s moving through the population like a sexually transmitted disease, officials are watching for other types of outbreaks that may break out.

More than 2,800 U.S. cases have been reported as part of an international outbreak that began two months ago, health officials said. About 99 percent of men reported having sex with other men.