To date, WHO said 23 countries that haven't previously had monkeypox have reported more than 250 cases. Other experts have pointed out that it may be accidental that the disease was first picked up in gay and bisexual men, saying it could quickly spill over into other groups if it is not curbed. Still, she warned that anyone is at potential risk of the disease, regardless of their sexual orientation. 'It's very important to describe this because it appears to be an increase in a mode of transmission that may have been under-recognized in the past,' said Lewis, WHO's technical lead on monkeypox.
Rosamund Lewis said it was critical to emphasize that the vast majority of cases being seen in dozens of countries globally are in gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, so that scientists can further study the issue and for populations at risk to take precautions. The World Health Organization's top monkeypox expert said she doesn't expect the hundreds of cases reported to date to turn into another pandemic, but acknowledged there are still many unknowns about the disease, including how exactly it's spreading and whether the suspension of mass smallpox immunization decades ago may somehow be speeding its transmission.
