August 5, 2022 - 3:00pm
A new Lancet study suggests that monkeypox could be a sexually transmitted disease. Researchers analysed a 39-year-old male patient who presented typical symptoms of the disease, including a fever and lesions on the skin.
Semen collected from the patient in “acute phase of infection” — six days after the onset of symptoms — might contain a virus that could replicate, potentially capable of infecting others. The study concludes that sexual transmission of monkeypox may be possible, “especially in the current 2022 outbreak of the disease”.
The research does not dispute the common understanding of how monkeypox spreads: transmission occurs primarily through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) also posits that respiratory transmission is possible in close face-to-face interactions.
Jimmy Whitworth, Emeritus Professor of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told UnHerd: “This [study] does indeed strengthen suspicions that ‘this might be a viable route of transmission’.” But Prof. Whitworth also explained: “We don’t know how widespread this finding is in infected cases, nor how long live virus persists in semen.”
Since the outbreak in May this year, debate has raged over whether monkeypox should be classified as an STI. Public health officials fear that labelling the disease as such may not only be inaccurate, but it could also stigmatise marginalised communities. In remarks delivered last week, Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on social media platforms, tech companies and news organisations to “prevent harmful information and stigma around monkeypox”. Several media publications have also followed suit, with Men’s Health saying that it amounted to “misinformation”, while USA Today ran the headline: “Monkeypox is spreading through sex, but it’s not an STI. Why calling it one is a problem.” Fortune Magazine had an epidemiologist “debunk” the “myth” that monkeypox was sexually transmitted.
But in light of the Lancet study, this narrative could soon change. Although the paper notes that further research is required, its findings support the idea that the transmission of monkeypox during sexual activity is a “viable and recognised route”.
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
SubscribeHow ludicrous can health experts get? The stats show that cases of Monkeypox are almost entirely confined to “men who have sex with men”. But we can’t tell “men who have sex with men” aka homosexuals, to be a bit more careful than usual. That would stigmatise the poor lambs. Nor can we dare call it an STD, despite clear correlation.
However, it is absolutely fine to enforce experimental medication, masks, lockdowns, destroy economies and a generation of youngsters’ education for a respiratory virus that poses most people no harm.
The people in charge of public health are clowns.
Yes, a civilization that puts ideology ahead of practicalities is in clear decline.
Yesterday the BBC ran an article saying the the LGBQT community was demanding the government take action against Monkeypox and my thoughts were lockdown for the LGBQT community? Maybe armbands for the LGBQT community so the rest of us can treat them like lepers in case they’re infected.
On a more serious note (the above was thought in jest, I’m a believer in personal responsibility) there are vaccines for Monkeypox and if in doubt a period of celibacy and avoidance of clubs, parties and Pride parades(in other words superspreader events)!?!
personal responsibility is sooo what ? pre 90’s, 80,s 70,s – when did it become the norm that any bad thing was someone else’s responsiblity ?? Junk food producers made me fat !
Tedros is many things, but he sure isn’t a health expert. Maybe if we all just ignore him he’ll go away.
Tedros is the jerk who appointed Robert Mugabe as goodwill ambassador for WHO – Mugabe the mass murderer????
Well the people in charge of everything are clowns. But this is indeed another example of authorities across the West refusing to acknowledge any form of reality.
Fraser, you have returned!! Welcome back.
there is a notorious doctor across the pond who may be involved in this due to his failed vacces for hiv.
The health authorities are not doing anyone any favours – least of all gay men – with their fear of stating obvious facts lest it be deemed politically incorrect. The facts are that the first cases in Europe were traced back to two pride events and a “fetish festival”. The health authorities were quick to explain that transmission among gay males (or ‘men who have sex with men’ – the first time I had heard that expression) was purely coincidental and that it could just have easily taken off in the heterosexual community. There was later advice that MSMs should restrict their number of partners. To this day, almost all infections remain within the gay (male) community.
There is an unspoken admission here that that, whatever the mode of transmission – be it an STD or passed on via skin-to-skin contact, this is a disease that spreads amongst the promiscuous. Not so much ‘men who have sex with men’ but ‘men who have sex with multiple men’. Maybe we should be asking questions about why promiscuity seems to be not only tolerated but often celebrated amongst sections of the gay community when it would not be tolerated, or certainly frowned upon, in the straight community. Perhaps the health authorities should be promoting monogamy amongst the gay community, but I presume that wouldn’t go down well with the gay activists.
Since when is promiscuity frowned upon among heterosexuals? I spent my entire youth trying to be as promiscuous as I possibly could (not always as successfully as I hoped at times admittedly) and not once was it ever looked down on. It’s what everybody did until they got tied down
It’s not what they did, and for the simple reason that, for obvious reasons, women tend to be less promiscuous than men. As your post demonstrates, many men will try and get their end away as often as possible, given half a chance. And the ‘gay lifestyle’ offers more than half a chance.
Some women aren’t, and very glad I am too. It would have been a very boring youth for me if all the girls lived according to your puritan ideals.
You know nothing about my ideals, and I can assure you they’re not puritan. My comment was an attempt to explain my different pre-marital experience (i.e. lack of success). Of course there may be alternative explanations…
Why are they suddenly so afraid of using the words gay or homosexual? I don’t get this “men who have sex with men” phrase that suddenly popped up. Was there a change in what words are considered PC that I didn’t get the memo for? Is there some subtle semantic difference between homosexual men and “men who have sex with men”?
The phrase has been around since the early days of HIV. I believe it was more aimed at accuracy than at avoiding stigma. Besides bisexual men, there are men who identify as heterosexual but occassionally have sex with men (and not solely in prison). And I’ve read that in some African countries, only the “receptive” partner is considered homosexual (HIV was obviously international and cross-cultural). So for describing a particular population at higher risk, “men who have sex with men” was the simple functional descriptive term, avoiding any confusion about labels which vary across cultures and subcultures (and individually).
Of course, we know that more recently there has been a more ideological motive for various prescribed renaming. “MSM” was voluntarily adopted by medical people for specialized communication purposes; but today terms like “uterus bearers” are being coerced for everyone in all contexts, with the goal of supporting “social justice” rather than clear communication.
Can never understand how the wanton promiscuity of gay men (chem’ sex orgies are a regular “thing” peeps on the scene) isn’t simply called out as what it is:
A health risk. Do it if you like/just don’t bleat about it if it catches you out…
Robert, you really need to stop believing the prejudice that labels most gay men as promiscuous. Yes it exists like it does within the straight population (swingers) but chem sex orgies etc are greatly exaggerated by the media.
Most “gay” men are in a serious relationship. Most also don’t prance about screeching about Madonna whist wearing make-up and loud clothes. Many despise the flamboyant stereotype and lead everyday lives, where they are not defined by their sexuality. Some, shock! , horror! are even as dull as dishwater
I definitely agree with you and it’s an important point. I don’t want to diminish your main point.
However, to give the devil their due, the subset of straight folks who are promiscuous don’t tend to openly celebrate that, and suggest that anybody who doesn’t is heterophobic. That is, to the degree that there is a ‘gay’ subculture, promiscuity plays a larger part in it. (While acknowledging that many gay folks are not part of ‘gay culture’)
Presumably it’s not a sexually transmitted disease in the same way Bill Clinton didn’t have sex with Monica L.
‘I did not have sex with that monkey’.
Tired of hearing about gay plagues. Sick of pandering to less than 1.5% of the population. Does that make me a homophobe?
Maybe. It depends on what underlies your feelings.
Yes,join the club.
no – you just would like some personal responsibility taken by some members of the population…..instead of the ‘you hurt my feelings whingefest’ that is the feeble minded norm these days….
Just like in the 1980s groups of decadent ultra-promiscuous men ignore the warnings as merely the ravings of fusty reactionaries to bring them down to earth. They can lie in the bed they made.
From the Beeb this morning “ While anybody can catch monkeypox, it is gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men who are disproportionately affected in this outbreak.” who are these other men who have sex with men and why aren’t they gay?
I saw the same expression in the DT a while back, and thought along similar lines. I put it down to straight men who are really confused!
Surely that would class them as Bi though, I wondered if they’re trans women who were originally gay men. Or maybe Trans men who sleep with bi men. The thought occurred that Stonewall maybe trying to protect the trans community from the fallout from Monkeypox at the expense of gay and bi men. Let’s face it, the LG and B are more or less tagged on for popularity sake now.
I put it down to today’s standards of journos and writers who were never taught HOW to think.
Maybe it’s something to do with Transitioning? BBC/Guardian bingo.
1. One is a sexual identity & the other is an epidemiological category. It’s the leakage of epidemiological jargon into the news.
2. A small number of men may not think of themselves as a gay but nevertheless have sex with other men on occasions. However, it must be said that the men these men are having sex with are more likely than not to think of themselves as gay or bisexual
Thank you for your clarity, Jonathan.
So they’re bi men in denial that they’re bi? Or bi-annual bi?
I suppose none of this would be an issue as such if they all used condoms and didn’t get involved in hook ups during monkey related outbreaks. It’s like getting caught with your pants down!
Just cheapskate. They just want a quick free jerk off and why would they want to spend good money buying a woman flowers and taking her out to dinner and all that stuff,and even a prostitute expects to be paid.
How vulgar and coarse am I. I’ve lived too long.
“more likely than not to think of themselves as gay or bisexual”
Not inconsistent with the 95% vs 4% stats.
As if Monkeypox (moneypox) was a problem, the earth is spinning faster. Some milliseconds per day which ads up at the end of the year to a second or more! The reason, climate change.
“This phenomenon can be simply visualized by thinking about a spinning figure skater, who manages angular velocity by controlling their arms and hands,” they said. “As they spread their arms the angular velocity decreases, preserving the skater’s momentum. As soon as the skater tucks their arms back in, the angular velocity increases. Same happens here at this moment because of rising temperatures on Earth. Ice caps melt and lead to angular velocity increase.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earth-spinning-faster-than-usual-shortest-day-ever/
Sorry but some humor must be left in us all to laugh a little before the weekend starts and is over by some milliseconds and therefore shorter and we should get some compensation for the lost time. Hey have a nice weekend!!!!! It’s summer everyone!!!!!
This is a result of the confluence of PEP and PrEP medications for HIV, leading to an embrace of risky behaviour, the use of hook-up apps and the ease of international travel.
It seems that the gay male community has returned to the bad habits of the late 1970s, priming for a new, easily spread infection, which is now upon them. No lessons have been learned here, and once again ‘everyone is at risk’ so no feelings can be hurt.
“…a subset of the gay male community…”
Well, if, as generally acknowledged, monkeypox largely spreads by skin to skin contact, it doesn’t need a researcher to point out that it is sexually transmissible. Duh!
I suppose the concern is that if its being found in semen, then could it be in semen prior to other symptoms being exhibited? In which case, using condoms will be a really good idea because it wont be enough to look out for pustules.
Some of the stories elsewhere seem to suggest that avoiding condoms is a significant factor in the current MPX outbreak.
Keep your pants on. The end.
So, forgive my ignorance, but is this just another version of a**l Injection Death Syndrome or whatever it was called?
Where is Fauci’s involvement?
In some bio-lab in the Ukraine,probably one of the ones that Putin very sensible put out of business.