Africa CDC says gay sex ‘not relevant’ in monkeypox there

By CARA ANNA
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s public health agency says it doesn’t know how many of the continent’s reported monkeypox cases this year are in men who have sex with men. The agency’s acting director warned against “any stigmatization” that might delay case reporting. The monkeypox cases reported in Europe and North America have almost exclusively involved gay and bisexual men, though health officials say the virus can infect anyone in close, physical contact with an infected individual, their clothing or bedsheets. But the acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on Thursday “that indicator is not relevant in the African context.”