WHO advises reducing same-sex partners as monkeypox spreads

The WHO (World Health Organization) on Wednesday (27) asked homosexuals, the community most affected by the disease, to reduce the number of sexual partners, in the face of the advance of the monkeypox outbreak.

The best way to protect yourself “is to reduce the risk of exposing yourself” to the disease, explained WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference in Geneva.

“For men who have sex with men, this means, for the time being, reducing the number of sexual partners and exchanging contact with any new relationship to be able to inform them” in case of symptoms, so they can isolate themselves, explained Ghebreyesus, which on Saturday (23) activated the maximum alert level of the UN to contain the disease.

Since the beginning of May, more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been detected in 78 countries around the world. According to the head of the WHO, 70% of cases are in Europe and 25% in America.

So far, only five people in Africa have died from the disease and 10% of cases have required hospital admission to control the pain caused by the infection in patients.

The international body insisted against any kind of stigmatization, which could lead infected people to hide the disease and promote the spread.