While experts believe the pattern of infections indicate the disease spreading in the community, it’s not clear how or if different clusters are connected. It’s possible the pattern is a product of where health officials are searching for more cases or that this is a group of people more likely visit sexual health clinics, for example. The leader of the WHO’s emerging diseases unit Maria Van Kerkhove told STAT News people should be cautious about fixating on the pattern among men who have sex with men. While the virus is not known to be sexually transmitted, some experts believe the pattern suggests this as another route of transmission. Most of the monkeypox cases have been found among gay and bisexual men or men who have sex with men.
The cases were not linked with travel to areas where monkeypox is more common and officials think the outbreaks signal transmission of the virus in the community.
More than a dozen cases are also suspected in Canada. News PegĬases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the U.K., Spain, Portugal and Massachusetts, with more suspected and under investigation.
The disease is usually mild and goes away on its own within a month, and while the WHO said children are at higher risk than adults, it can cause complications during pregnancy-including stillbirth and congenital monkeypox-and could have a fatality rate between 1% and 10%.
