In Europe, monkeypox is very common among men who have sex with men. For some infectiologists, monkeypox is more akin to a sexually transmitted infection than to the classic form of the disease.
- A first case of monkeypox was recorded in Martinique this Friday, July 15.
- The currently available vaccine is administered post-exposure, that is, after contact with an infected person.
“We wanted so much at the beginning not to stigmatize the population at risk [les hommes ayant des relations homosexuelles] that we remained on historical descriptions of monkeypox in its original version, that is to say the epidemic which raged in Africaexplained Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist at Garches hospital in Hauts-de-Seine, on France info. In reality, what we observe today is typically the presentation of a sexually transmitted infection with sometimes lesions that are very difficult to discern (…). And unfortunately, the fact of missing the diagnosis means that we will not consult and that we will contaminate”.
A sexually transmitted infection
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites and transmitted sexually. According to‘Health Insurancethe frequency of STIs is increasing in France, except for HIV whose annual number of discoveries of seropositivity has been stable since 2007.”There are elements in certain publications on series of small cases which show that the semen of sick patients was also contaminating, says Benjamin Davido. We can clearly see that it is a disease which, affecting the genitals, is partly sexual.”.
Many cases…
According to latest update published by Public Health France on July 12, there are 912 confirmed cases of monkeypox in France. Among them, 569 were identified in Ile-de-France, 87 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 68 in Occitanie, 47 in New Aquitaine, 47 in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, 34 in Hauts-de-France , 18 in the Grand Est, 13 in Normandy, 9 in Brittany, 8 in Centre-Val de Loire, 5 in Pays-de-la-Loire, 3 in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and 4 cases abroad. The epidemic is therefore progressing more and more on French soil.
…among MSM
“To date, in France, 97% of cases for which sexual orientation is reported have occurred among men who have sex with men (MSM), explains Public Health France. Of the cases for which information is available, 75% report having had at least 2 sexual partners in the 3 weeks before the onset of symptoms”. Faced with this situation, on July 11, the government decided to extend vaccination against monkeypox to “most exposed groups”, in particular homosexual people, multi-partner trans people or sex workers.
The hope of vaccination
Some populations are more at risk than others for monkeypox, such as the immunocompromised and HIV-positive people. For the first 40 cases were identified, 211 in the second. “We know that there can be severe forms (monkey pox), continues Benjamin Davido. The risk is to contaminate immunocompromised people for example, and there are also hospitalized patients”. Monkeypox or simian orthopoxvirosis, other names for monkeypox, is a virus that is transmitted to humans from animals or other humans. A person is contagious as soon as the first symptoms appear and must therefore be placed in solitary confinement as soon as possible.
