A former World Health Organisation chief has said that the possibility the monkeypox virus was spread by sexual activity at raves in Europe is now 'a leading theory'.
It comes as the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in the UK more than doubled to 57, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA. Community Transmission between people is now occurring in the UK, with a large proportion of cases identified in men who have sex with other men. While monkeypox is not normally a sexually transmitted infection, it can be passed on by direct contact during sex.
Dr David Heymann, who formerly headed the WHO’s emergencies department, told the Associated Press that the leading theory out of many put forward to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission at raves in Europe. It comes after Enrique Ruiz Escudero, Madrid’s senior health official, said authorities are investigating possible links between a recent Gay Pride event in the Canary Islands - attended by around 80,000 people - and cases at a Madrid sauna, reports NBC news.
