A Spanish study published on Monday August 8th sheds a little more light on the monkeypox epidemic.
Conducted in Barcelona and Madrid from June 11 to 29, a Spanish study was published in the journal The Lancet this Monday, August 8 and allows you to really know more regarding monkeypox.
Transmission
For the authors of the study, no more doubt, monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease but it actually spreads more easily during sexual intercourse. It also demonstrates, for the first time, “that specific sexual acts are associated with the location of lesions – in particular, receptive anal sex.”
“Our study reinforces the evidence for skin-to-skin contact during sex as the dominant mechanism of monkeypox transmission, with important implications for disease control.”
To arrive at this assertion, the authors evoke a significantly higher viral load in the lesions compared to those present in the respiratory tract.
Isolation
In their conclusions, the Spanish doctors indicate that it is therefore not necessary to isolate the patients, the transmission by the respiratory route being very low. The disease risks, on the other hand, “to continue in the sexual networks”. Note that 92% of patients identified as homosexual, bisexual or other men who have sex with men.
Vaccination
Surprisingly, this study carried out on 181 patients, indicates that 32 of them had been vaccinated once morest smallpox in their youth. For the authors, this new data “justifies further investigation to better understand the protection offered by vaccination in the context of the current epidemic”.
Pending further results, “due to the short incubation period, pre-exposure vaccination of high-risk groups is likely to be more effective than post-exposure vaccination for health infection control public,” say the Spanish scientists.
