What is behind the discovery of monkeypox in semen?
The Geneva epidemiologist analyzes the scope of the results of a preliminary study by Italian researchers on the viral infectious disease.
The discovery of viruses in semen makes the sexual route a plausible mode of contamination, says epidemiologist Antoine Flahault.
Irina Popa
The World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the alarm on Friday calling for “urgent action” against monkeypox. The UN institution declares that it has observed a tripling of cases in Europe, a continent which has totaled more than 4,500 laboratory-confirmed cases, or 90% of the cases recorded in the world since mid-May.
The WHO recommends that European countries “increase their efforts in the coming weeks and months to prevent monkeypox from taking hold in a larger geographical area”. Meanwhile, the results of a preliminary study by Italian researchers reveal, for the first time, the presence of monkeypox virus in semen.