Faced with the monkeypox outbreak, the WHO issued this Wednesday clear advice to the group most affected by the disease – men who have sex with men – to reduce the number of sexual partners.
The best way to protect yourself “is to reduce the risk of exposure” to the disease, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained during a press conference in Geneva.
“For men who have sex with men, this also means, for the time being, reducing the number of their sexual partners and exchanging information with any new partners so that they can be contacted” in the event of symptoms, so that they can isolate themselves, explained Dr. Tedros, who activated his organization’s highest level of alert on Saturday in an attempt to contain the disease.
Most cases concentrated in Europe
More than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been detected worldwide since early May outside of endemic areas in Africa. The disease has been reported so far in 78 countries and 70% of cases are concentrated in Europe and 25% in the Americas, said the head of the WHO.
Five people have died from the disease, all in Africa, and around 10% of cases require hospital admission to try to ease the pain patients are experiencing.
“This message of reducing the number of couples comes from the communities themselves,” explained Andy Seale, who at the WHO is responsible for getting the message to the population that is now almost exclusively affected: men, rather young people who have sex. with men, and in particular with those who multiply the number of couples.
Andy Seale acknowledges that these types of recommendations cannot be effective in the long term and must also be accompanied by accurate information about symptoms, tests and easy access to a doctor in case of doubt in order to isolate as soon as possible.
It is not considered an STD
Monkeypox is not currently considered a sexually transmitted disease and anyone can get it. Direct skin-to-skin contact, but also infected sheets or clothing are vectors of disease transmission.
The WHO also strongly emphasizes the need to avoid any stigmatization of a specific community, which could lead its members to hide the disease, not seek treatment and continue to spread it.
For now, the WHO emphasizes that there are no vaccines for everyone and therefore recommends prioritizing those who are most at risk, those who are sick and those who treat them or do research.
“It is important to emphasize that vaccination does not instantly protect against infection or disease and this can take several weeks,” Dr. Tedros cautioned. Once vaccinated, it is necessary to continue taking precautions.
Continuation of vaccination of the population at risk
Vaccination is carried out with two doses, spaced at least 28 days apart. For people vaccinated against smallpox in childhood, one dose is sufficient. For the immunocompromised, a third dose is recommended.
As for the availability of doses of the vaccine from the Danish laboratory Bavarian Nordic, it is not immediate, according to the head of the WHO.
Most of the 16 million doses are in bulk and will take “several months” before they are available in ready-to-use vials. Two other vaccines, LC16 and ACAM2000, are also being studied.
The organization stresses that it would be good to avoid the mistakes made in managing the Covid-19 pandemic, when rich countries have monopolized almost all available vaccines for many months, and distribute the available doses equitably.
Source: BFM TV
