The milder strain causing the current outbreak kills one in 100 - similar to when Covid first hit. It can kill up to 10 per cent of people it infects. The disease, first discovered in lab monkeys in the late 1950s, is usually mild but can cause severe illness in some cases. It tells anyone with any tell-tale symptoms to seek specialist care and 'abstain from sexual activities or any other type of activities involving close contact until monkeypox is either excluded or the infection is resolved'. The ECDC webpage advises that 'men who have sex with other men that engage in casual sex, or who have multiple sexual partners' should be vigilant. The app is also working on a project with health chiefs in the US to communicate monkeypox public health advice to Americans. 'If you or any recent (last 21 days) partner have unusual sores or rash, contact your sexual health provider or local health provider.'Ī Grindr spokesperson told MailOnline the message, issued in 13 languages, aimed to help users 'understand the situation and find testing providers'. 'It is transmitted through close contact, like during sexual intercourse or through contaminated bedding, sex toys. The Grindr notification sent out said: 'The monkeypox virus is spreading in Europe, particularly among men who have sex with men. Spanish health chiefs have also linked many cases to a single 'sauna' in Madrid. Organisers have since said there is ‘reason to assume’ someone at the event was infected. Meanwhile, three cases in Belgium have been linked with Darklands – a large-scale fetish festival in Antwerp, held from May 5-8. 'And then there were these international events that seeded the outbreak around the world, into the US and other European countries.'ĭespite not naming either festival, health chiefs tasked with containing the virus have already begun tracing cases back to the Gran Canarian gay pride festival – attended by up to 80,000 people between May 5-15. 'It's very possible there was somebody who got infected, developed lesions on the genitals, hands or somewhere else, and then spread it to others when there was sexual or close physical contact. He said: 'We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission.
Sexual transmission at two festivals in Europe may have sparked the world’s escalating monkeypox outbreak, a World Health Organization expert has claimed.ĭr David Heymann, who used to head the WHO's emergencies department, revealed it was the leading theory behind the origins of the current cluster of cases. It also shared a linked to a webpage which enables users to find a local healthcare provider, in case they do not have their own doctor. The message from Grindr, which has partnered with health agencies in the UK and EU, sent users to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's page on monkeypox. Scientists believe the international outbreak could have been sparked by sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain. The tropical virus can spread through any close contact with a sick person, including by touching contaminated clothing, bedding or utensils. Monkeypox - usually only seen in west and central Africa - has now been spotted in 19 countries in little over a fortnight. It issued the warning to its users across Europe last night, advising them to contact their sexual health provider if they or any recent sexual partners have unusual sores or rashes. The dating app is the world's largest for men who have sex with men, who have been disproportionately infected in the unprecedented outbreak. Grindr has sent out a monkeypox alert, urging gay and bisexual men to be aware of the virus's tell-tale rash.