Monkeypox cases surpass 19K worldwide as WHO urges reducing sexual partners

Geneva, July 27: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said that the worldwide number of monkeypox cases is now greater than 19K, with the group's head urging men who have sex with men ("MSM") to limit sexual partners in an effort to stem the outbreak, the Associated Press reported.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of the monkeypox cases detected since the outbreaks emerged in May have been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. He called for those at risk to take steps to protect themselves.

"That means making safe choices for yourself and others, for men who have sex with men," Tedros said. "This includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners."

Infectious individuals should isolate and avoid gatherings involving close, physical contact, while people should get contact details for any new sexual partners in case they need to follow up later, the WHO chief said.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not suggested that men who have sex with men reduce their sexual partners, only that they avoid skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that could be monkeypox. WHO officials emphasized that monkeypox can infect anyone in close contact with a patient or their contaminated clothing or bedsheets.

The UN health agency has warned that the disease could be more severe in vulnerable populations like children or pregnant women. To date, more than 19,000 cases have been reported in more than 75 countries; deaths have only been reported in Africa.