UK outbreak of monkeypox may be driven by sexual contact, says STI specialist

MONKEYPOX may be a sexually transmissible virus, experts believe, and this could be driving the current outbreak in Britain.

Previously, it was thought the virus could only spread by close contact such as touching lesions or via droplets from an infected person’s breath.

But emerging evidence indicates for the first time the virus could also be spread during sexual intercourse.

Seven cases of the virus have been recorded so far in England, with six in London and one in the North East. Four of the seven cases in the last two weeks are in gay or bisexual men and this is “highly suggestive” of sex being a driver of transmission, according to an STI expert.

Mateo Prochazka, the head of the UK Health Security Agency team investigating the cases, said: “Close contact between two people (such as during sex) could facilitate transmission – but this has never been described before.

“However, the high proportion of cases in the current outbreak in England that are gay or bisexual [57 per cent] is highly suggestive of spread in sexual networks. This is further suggested by the fact that common contacts have been identified for only two of the four latest cases.”

He added that this would mean the virus can be transmitted via sex, but it is not its primary route of transmission.

Monkeypox cases in Britain are rare and the fact that only one of the seven cases, the very first, has a recent travel history to Africa means the virus is spreading in the community.

Scientists are divided on the theory. Prof Francois Balloux, an infectious disease expert and director of the UCL Genetics Institute, said: “I would urge some caution... The number of cases to date where the route of transmission is known remains relatively small.”