WHO looks into reports of monkeypox virus in semen

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) – The World Health Organisation is wanting into reports that the monkeypox virus is current in the semen of sufferers, exploring the likelihood that the illness may very well be sexually transmitted, a WHO official mentioned on Wednesday.

Many instances in the present monkeypox outbreak, largely centred on Europe, are amongst sexual companions who’ve had shut contact, and the company reiterated that virus is especially transmitted through shut interpersonal contact.

In current days, scientists say they’ve detected viral DNA in the semen of a handful of monkeypox sufferers in Italy and Germany, together with a lab-tested pattern that instructed the virus discovered in the semen of a single affected person was succesful of infecting one other particular person and replicating. learn extra

Catherine Smallwood, monkeypox incident supervisor at WHO/Europe, mentioned it was not identified whether or not current reports meant the monkeypox virus may very well be sexually transmitted.

“This may have been something that we were unaware of in this disease before,” she advised a press briefing.

“We really need to focus on the most frequent mode of transmission and we clearly see that to be associated with skin to skin contact.”

More than 1,300 instances of the viral illness have been reported by about 30 international locations since early May. Most instances have been reported in males who’ve intercourse with males.

The outbreak has triggered concern because the virus is never seen exterior of Africa, the place it’s endemic, and the bulk of the European instances usually are not associated to journey to the continent.

As the outbreak spreads, the WHO has really useful focused vaccination of shut contacts, together with healthcare employees, however has warned it’s already seeing a rush to stockpile vaccines.

“Once again, a ‘me first’ approach could lead to damaging consequences down the road,” mentioned Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe.

“I beseech governments to tackle monkeypox without repeating the mistakes of the pandemic – and keeping equity at the heart of all we do.”

Reporting by Natalie Grover and Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Angus MacSwan and John Stonestreet

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