Monkey-pox is Sexually Transmitted Disease? How true is that?

Last Updated on 03/17/2026 by DrHelal

Recent study showed:
95% of monkey-pox cases transmitted thru sexual activity!

By: 17 hours ago

AFPNinety-five percent of monkeypox cases have been transmitted through sexual activity, according to the largest study to date, which also noted new clinical signs, such as single genital lesions.

The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, came as World Health Organization experts debated whether to classify the outbreak as a global health emergency, the highest alarm it can sound.

Led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London, the new paper looked at 528 confirmed infections in 16 countries, between April 27 and June 24.

“It is important to stress that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection in the traditional sense; it can be acquired through any kind of close physical contact,” said first author John Thornhill, in a statement.

“However, our work suggests that most transmissions so far have been related to sexual activity—mainly, but not exclusively, amongst men who have sex with men,” Thornhill added.

Bisexuals, gays

“This research study increases our understanding of the ways it is spread and the groups in which it is spreading which will aid rapid identification of new cases and allow us to offer prevention strategies,” he said.

Monkeypox declared global health emergency by WHO as cases surge

The global monkeypox outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) – the strongest call to action the agency can make.

What is monkeypox and how worried should we be?