There is no reason to avoid LGBTQ+ parades, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), despite the recent outbreak of monkeypox virus, which has been confirmed in over 435 cases in nearly 24 countries and is primarily seen among men who have sex with men.
While the virus is not a sexually transmitted infection, which is typically spread through sperm and vaginal fluids, the most recent outbreak appears to have been spread among men who have sex with other men.
The WHO, on the other hand, emphasized that anyone can contract monkeypox and that it is critical to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s important that people who want to go out and celebrate gay pride, LGBTQ pride, to continue to go and plan to do so,” Andy Seale, strategies adviser at WHO’s department of sexually transmitted infections programmes, said at a WHO social media briefing.
“Most of these events – the official events – are outdoors, they’re family friendly. We don’t see any real reason to be concerned about the enhanced likelihood of transmission in those contexts.”
This comes after people expressed concern about upcoming pride marches in New York on June 26 and Berlin on July 23, among other cities.
According to Seale, many of the current cases involve events that occurred in enclosed spaces such as nightclubs.
“Many diseases can be spread through sexual contact. You could get a cough or a cold through sexual contact, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a sexually transmitted disease,” Seale, who advises the WHO on HIV, hepatitis and other sexually transmitted infections, had said earlier.
Monkeypox has never been identified as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be transmitted through direct contact during sex.
However, transmission occurs primarily “through close contact, such as during sexual activities amongst persons with multiple sexual partners,” according to Dr Andrea Ammon of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
However, Ammon believes that the likelihood of spread in the general population is very low.
Despite being the largest outbreak outside of Africa in 50 years, monkeypox does not easily spread between people, and WHO experts say the threat is not comparable to the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials from the WHO also stated that “This is a manageable situation,” and “the world has a chance to stop this outbreak collectively.” There is a window here “..
