Down-low sex at two Europe raves may explain unusual monkeypox outbreaks, says WHO expert

[Yaheem Rodgers]

A longtime World Health Organization (WHO) infectious disease expert
said the recent outbreaks of monkeypox may be explained by sexual
transmission from two recent raves in Europe.

David Heymann, who chaired a meeting of the World Health
Organization’s advisory group on infectious disease threats on
Friday to discuss the outbreak, told The Associated Press that the
raves held in Spain and Belgium are the leading theory to explain
the disease’s recent unprecedented spread.

“It’s very possible there was somebody who got infected, developed
lesions on the genitals, hands or somewhere else, and then spread it
to others when there was sexual or close, physical contact,” Heymann
said. “And then there were these international events that seeded
the outbreak around the world, into the U.S. and other European
countries.”

Heymann called the outbreaks “a random event.”

Monkeypox has remained endemic in animals in areas of Africa, a main
source of outbreaks in the region that does not usually spread
across borders.

But now, recent cases in the U.S. and Europe have caused concern.
Belgium, the site of one of the raves, has implemented a mandatory
three-week quarantine for confirmed patients, but President Biden
said he doesn’t expect the U.S. to follow suit.

Heymann, who also serves as a professor of infectious diseases at
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, also pointed to
the smallpox vaccine, which is shown to be highly effective against
monkeypox infection.

“This is not COVID,” Heymann told the AP. “We need to slow it down,
but it does not spread in the air and we have vaccines to protect
against it.”

Massachusetts public health officials last week confirmed a case of
monkeypox in a person who had recently traveled to Canada, followed
by a confirmed case in New York City and a suspected case in Broward
County over the weekend.

The cases have left infectious disease experts perplexed as they
investigate the sources of the outbreaks. WHO said on Saturday that
the cases — which span 12 nonendemic countries — have mainly been
identified among men who have sex with men and sought diagnoses in
primary care and sexual health clinics.

In total, WHO said it is tracking 92 confirmed cases and 28 possible
cases.

“However, the extent of local transmission is unclear at this stage,
as surveillance has been limited,” the WHO said in its statement.
“There is a high likelihood of identification of further cases with
unidentified chains of transmission, including in other population
groups.”

Monkeypox is spread through close contact with an infected animal or
person, generally through lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets
and contaminated materials, like clothing and bedsheets.

Germany has four confirmed cases linked to exposure at parties
“where sexual activity took place” in Spain’s Canary Islands and
Berlin, the AP reported.

“Many of these global reports of monkeypox cases are occurring
within sexual networks,” said Inger Damon, the director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s poxvirus research
division, which includes monkeypox.

“However, healthcare providers should be alert to any rash that has
features typical of monkeypox. We’re asking the public to contact
their healthcare provider if they have a new rash and are concerned
about monkeypox,” she said.


https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3498163-sex-at-two-europe-
raves-may-explain-unusual-monkeypox-outbreaks-says-who-expert/