‘Reduce number of sexual partners’: WHO’s latest guideline as monkeypox cases surge globally
Just as the Covid-19 pandemic across the world has taken a backseat, the scare surrounding the spread of the monkeypox virus has taken over the world.
With thousands of cases being reported across several countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued some safety guidelines regarding the outbreak.
Sounding an alert regarding the spread of monkeypox across the globe, the WHO has advised the group currently most affected by the virus – men who have sex with men – to limit their sexual partners, which can, in turn, keep them comparatively safer.
The monkeypox outbreak was declared a global health emergency by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week, telling the reporters during a press conference that the best way to protect against infection was “to reduce the risk of exposure”.
As per AFP reports, he said, “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.”
The global health agency has further confirmed that more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have now been reported to WHO from 78 countries. Out of the total cases, 70 percent of all have been reported in Europe while 25 percent have been reported across the Americas.
Despite the surge in cases, the number of deaths due to the monkeypox outbreak currently remains low. WHO confirmed that a total of 5 deaths have been reported in the outbreak since May, and around 10 percent of those infected end up in hospital to manage the pain.
Medical experts and scientists have said that out of all the cases, 98 percent of those affected by monkeypox are men who indulge in sexual relations with other men. The main symptom of the disease is a blistering rash, but it has not been labeled as a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) yet.
WHO has urged that “anyone can be exposed to monkeypox” and that believing that the disease only affects one community can cause a major public health issue.