Were the Gay Parties Behind the Spread of Monkeypox?

After confirming the spread of the monkeypox virus in a number of Western countries, many observers are wondering about the reasons for this outbreak. A leading expert at the World Health Organization said that the unprecedented spread of monkeypox in developed countries may be caused by sexual contact at two gay parties recently held in Europe.

Dr. David Heymann, who previously headed the organization's emergency department, told The Associated Press that the most likely theory behind the spread of monkeypox was sexual intercourse between gay men at parties in Spain and Belgium.

"We know that monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with an infected person, and sexual contact now appears to have amplified this transmission," Heymann said.

France 24 report stressed that the transmission of monkeypox to humans is relatively rare, unlike the previous case of human smallpox. The World Health Organization stated that it is following up on the situation, especially what has been observed of transmission of the disease on several times among homosexual men. However, a number of specialists stressed the need not to exaggerate the situation, thanks to what we know about the disease and its characteristics.

 

Homosexuals’ Network

Susan Hopkins, the senior medical advisor at the British Health Security Agency (UKHSA), revealed that monkeypox is spreading significantly among homosexuals and bisexuals in both the United Kingdom and Europe.

"A significant proportion of recent cases of monkeypox patients have been recorded in the United Kingdom and Europe among homosexual men and bisexual men," she said in comments published on Friday by the Daily Mail newspaper.

She added that Britain expects to discover more cases in the coming days and called on healthcare professionals to "increase vigilance.”

Many European and North American countries announced that they had detected monkeypox infections, including Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, France, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the United States and Australia. They confirmed the first cases of monkeypox while other cases are still under investigation.

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, the doctor Khaoula Chaabani explained: “The virus latency period is from 6 to 16 days, and the most important symptoms that permeate it is extreme fatigue. Yet the main symptoms are fever, blisters, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, fatigue, chills, and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face that appear after the end of the latency period. It can last 2 to 4 weeks.”

Monkeypox is a form of smallpox, a disease that was eradicated in 1980. It is considered one of the least contagious and less deadly, and its symptoms are milder.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when a disease similar to smallpox appeared in laboratory monkeys, hence the name.

 

Pattern of Transmission

Monkeypox has never been found on a large scale outside of Africa, where it affects animals in particular. This is significantly different from the familiar pattern of transmission of the disease that circulates in Central and West Africa, where people are primarily infected by animals such as wild rodents, according to the US agency.

According to health officials, most of the known infections in Europe were among gay men who had sexual contact.

A senior executive of the World Health Organization said Monday 23 that the organization has no evidence that the monkeypox virus has mutated, noting that the disease, which is endemic in West and Central Africa, has not changed.

Rosamund Lewis, director of the smallpox emergency program at the World Health Organization, told reporters that mutations are usually less with this virus, but the genetic sequencing of cases will help to better identify and understand the current outbreak.

In the Arab world, the Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection reported on Monday evening that it had detected three suspected cases of monkeypox.

It stated that the cases "are in good health, and are under health care and monitoring." The cases underwent medical tests and are awaiting results.

Currently, there are "less than 200 confirmed and suspected cases" in countries where monkeypox is not endemic, according to Maria van Kerkhove, WHO's task force on COVID-19 and emerging and zoonotic diseases.

This outcome is only relevant for countries where monkeypox is unusual. Yet, the World Health Organization expressed confidence in the ability to "stop" transmission of the disease between humans in these "non-endemic" countries during a question-and-answer session on Monday.

"It is a situation that can be controlled, especially in European countries that have entered the disease," Van Kerkhove said.

She stressed that early detection and isolation of infections are part of the measures recommended by the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, adding that there are currently no serious cases.

 

Vaccines for Homosexuals

Medical experts in Britain had announced that monkeypox vaccines would be given to gays "as part of a focused campaign to confront the outbreak of this disease in the United Kingdom."

Earlier in the day, the British Ministry of Health confirmed that 20 cases of monkeypox had been detected, including 11 that were announced today.

Daily Mail newspaper revealed that Gay men could be offered monkeypox vaccines as part of a focused rollout to tackle the UK's outbreak, which today doubled in size.

Leading experts told MailOnline that vaccine campaigns could be deployed if cases continue to increase in homosexual and bisexual networks.

Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom, announced that 14 additional cases of monkeypox in England had tested positive for the virus, taking the total to 20.

Until May 25, the latest updates brought the total number of cases confirmed in England since May 7 to 85.

The Health Secretary said: "Most cases are mild, and I can confirm we have procured further doses of vaccines that are effective against monkeypox."

Six of the nine confirmed cases were in men who have sex with men. Experts commented by saying that the numbers highly suggest the spread of the virus in sexual networks.