The High Authority for Health (HAS) was seized to issue an opinion on an extension to homosexuals of vaccination against monkeypox, now reserved for contact cases, AFP learned on Tuesday. The HAS was seized at the end of last week, indicated the Ministry of Health. Its opinion should be given within a few days. The weekly Têtu had announced an imminent referral at the beginning of last week. For the moment, the High Authority for Health has recommended vaccinating adults, including health professionals, who have had risky contact with a patient.
LGBTQI + associations and certain health professionals have questioned the ministry on a possible enlargement to homosexuals while monkeypox today mainly affects men who have sex with other men. The UK already recommends vaccination of men who have sex with men at risk (MSM). In France, according to the last bulletin published, which dates from June 30, 498 cases have so far been confirmed (including three women), the majority in Ile-de-France (336).
The Ile-de-France regional health agency (ARS) announced on its website on Tuesday the gradual opening of nine post-exposure vaccination sites (within hospitals in Paris) by July 11. Worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) now lists 5,322 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypoxan increase of more than 50% compared to the previous assessment of June 22, for a single death, announced Tuesday a spokesperson for the organization.
The number of cases has increased sharply in recent days: this latest report, dated June 30, represents an increase of 55.9% compared to the previous count. This unusual upsurge in monkeypox cases has been detected since May outside the countries of Central and West Africa where the virus usually circulates.