CDC officials sound alarm for gay and bisexual men as monkeypox spreads in community

A section of skin tissue, harvested from a lesion on the skin of a monkey, that had been infected with monkeypox virus, is seen at 50X magnification on day four of rash development in 1968. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned gay and bisexual men on Monday to be on the lookout for symptoms of monkeypox and to take precautions if they have been in close contact with someone who may have the disease.

According to a CDC official, anyone can contract monkeypox regardless of their sexual orientation. Many of the people affected globally are men who identify as gay or bisexual. He said that the risk is not limited to the gay and bisexual community.

We want to help people make the best decisions to protect their health and the health of their community from monkeypox.

Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be transmitted through sexual and intimate contact as well as through shared bedding. The virus can be spread through contact with body fluids. It is important for physicians and individuals to be aware of the symptoms of monkeypox, particularly anal or genital lesions that can be confused with other diseases.

Anyone with a rash around their genitals, their anus or any other place that they have not seen before should be evaluated for sexually transmitted infections and other illnesses that can cause rash.

The US has confirmed one case of monkeypox and four cases of orthopox, according to a CDC official. State labs can identify orthopox, which is presumed to be monkeypox, but they have to send the results to the CDC in Atlanta for further analysis.

McQuiston said the cases identified in the U.S. are a milder West African strain. She said that most people who catch the virus recover in two to four weeks.

The World Health Organization has identified about 200 confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases in Europe and North America in the last few days.

It is unusual for monkeypox cases to be found outside of a few West and Central African nations where the virus is endemic. The U.S. had an outbreak of more than 70 cases in 2003 due to people keeping prairie dogs as pets.

There has been a surge of cases in Nigeria in recent years, but the cases identified around the world over the past two weeks are unusual because most of the patients did not have recent travel history to Nigeria or another country where the virus is usually found.

This is breaking news. You can check back for updates.