Monkeypox can spread irrespective of sexual orientation, race: WHO

Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus, says WHO Director General

Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic disease that has instilled fear among people across the world after its prevalence in over a dozen countries. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 22,485 monkeypox cases reported from 79 countries.

World Health Organization (WHO) earlier had said that some of the monkeypox cases were reported in health clinics located in the LGBTQ communities. The statement has triggered a sense of discrimination against the community, with people believing that the disease spread from men who have sexual intercourse with same sex.

Refuting that claim, Director General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men or are sexually active, and anyone who has close contact with someone who has symptoms is at risk.

"Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus," he added during a media briefing in Geneva.

"However, given that the virus is being identified in these communities, learning about monkeypox will help ensure that as few people as possible are affected and that the outbreak can be stopped," the WHO's public health advice read.

The global agency in a fresh statement said that monkeypox can spread through “face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, including sexual contact” irrespective of any sexual orientation or race. It also clearly mentioned that the LGBTQ community is not the “spreader” of the monkeypox virus.

The health body states monkeypox to be a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. Severe cases can occur, with fatality ratio around 3–6 per cent.

On Saturday, a 22-year-old youth from Kerala died due to the disease.

According to media reports, he returned to the state on July 21 from the UAE and was admitted to a private hospital on July 27 after developing encephalitis and fever. His lymph nodes were also swollen.

India has so far reported four confirmed monkeypox cases, three of them in Kerala, and one in Delhi.