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In 2022, the world’s largest multicountry outbreak of Mpox (formerly monkeypox) had a disproportionate impact on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Although the disease is not new, having been in circulation for many years in sub-Saharan Africa, this latest outbreak highlights the importance of characterising the role of sexual contact in disease transmission. In a Policy Forum piece, Nicola Low and colleagues define the research agenda for Mpox virus and transmission through sexual contact. Epidemiological, clinical, and virological data indicate that transmission of Mpox through sexual contact is more effective than transmission through casual skin-to-skin contact. The article raises many vital questions concerning the sexual route of Mpox transmission and provides a useful framework within which research can be prioritised to guide policy and prevention needs.
Image Credit: CDC, unsplash
Citation: (2023) PLoS Medicine Issue Image | Vol. 20(1) February 2023. PLoS Med 20(1): ev20.i01. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pmed.v20.i01
Published: February 10, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 . This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
In 2022, the world’s largest multicountry outbreak of Mpox (formerly monkeypox) had a disproportionate impact on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Although the disease is not new, having been in circulation for many years in sub-Saharan Africa, this latest outbreak highlights the importance of characterising the role of sexual contact in disease transmission. In a Policy Forum piece, Nicola Low and colleagues define the research agenda for Mpox virus and transmission through sexual contact. Epidemiological, clinical, and virological data indicate that transmission of Mpox through sexual contact is more effective than transmission through casual skin-to-skin contact. The article raises many vital questions concerning the sexual route of Mpox transmission and provides a useful framework within which research can be prioritised to guide policy and prevention needs.
Image Credit: CDC, unsplash