WHO: LGBTQ+ Pride Parades Should Continue Despite ‘Moderate’ Monkeypox Concerns

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the public health risk of contracting monkeypox could become high if the virus is able to establish itself as a human pathogen and begins infecting groups known to be at a higher risk of severe disease, such as young children and immunosuppressed individuals.

As the number of confirmed monkeypox cases rises beyond 257, the UN’s public health agency is emphasizing that the circulation of the rare disease should not be cause for people in nearly two dozen countries to forgo celebrations during ‘Pride Month’ for the LGBTQ+ community.

“It’s important that people who want to go out and celebrate gay pride, LGBTQ+ pride, to continue to go and plan to do so,” Andy Seale, a strategies adviser in the WHO Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes, said during a Monday media briefing.

“Most of these events–the official events–are outdoors, they’re family-friendly,” Seale added. “We don’t see any real reason to be concerned about the enhanced likelihood of transmission in those contexts.”

Many of the confirmed cases have been traced back to nightclubs and other enclosed spaces.

The disease, which causes skin lesions and mild flu-like symptoms, has disproportionately impacted men who have sex with men. However, the disease can be transmitted in a variety of ways, including exposure to broken skin, large respiratory droplets, mucous membranes, infected bodily fluids, and soiled or contaminated bed linens.

Most cases reported since May have been identified in Europe.

On Sunday, the WHO announced that, as of May 26, a cumulative total of 257 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox had been confirmed, along with 120 suspected cases of the rare disease. No associated deaths have been reported.

The public health agency highlighted that the current public health risk for the disease has been raised due to the unusual presence of cases throughout the world.

“Currently, the overall public health risk at global level is assessed as moderate considering this is the first time that monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in widely disparate WHO geographical areas, and without known epidemiological links to non-endemic countries in West or Central Africa,” the UN public health agency detailed.

Those infected with the rare disease typically experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, muscle weakness, chills, and exhaustion at the onset. Those initial signs are followed by swelling in the lymph nodes and a widespread rash across one’s face and body, including the palms, soles, and inner mouth.