Report: Mpox Risk Significantly Higher with Unprotected Sex

A new study finds significantly higher risk of mpox for men who bottom, as well as for unprotected sex. The findings arrive even as a drug-resistant strain of the virus seems to have evolved.

"Infection with the mpox virus is five times more likely among gay and bisexual men who engage in unprotected anal sex as the receptive partner," Medical Xpress reported.

The concerning news also breaks even as there are reports of "clusters of mpox cases in California," while in another state, Illinois, "a strain of mpox that's resistant to treatment with the first-line drug tecovirimat" has been reported.

Even more worrying, "these findings likely underestimate the prevalence of this newly recognized drug-resistant variant," according to CDC scientist Crystal Gigante, the site relayed, with the reason for that being that "not all viruses from mpox cases are genetically scrutinized..."

Mpox can easily be transmitted through casual contact, including not just skin-to-skin contact but even the sharing of clothing or towels.

The disease – which is similar to chicken pox – clears up after a few weeks, but it can be quite painful, especially if contracted in sensitive body areas. "Its symptoms include fever, painful rashes or sores and swollen lymph nodes," Medical Xpress noted.

Immunosuppressed patients can experience particularly severe symptoms.

Though confined almost exclusively to Africa for decades, the virus became a global concern in 2022. It's thought that two raves in Europe served as superspreader events. The virus' ease of transmission defies prejudicial assumptions that mpox is a "gay disease" – and the CDC has warned against such narratives. That said, gay men, bisexual men, and men who sex with men (MSM) are seen as being particularly at risk.

The first global outbreak of mpox "was declared over in 2023," Medical Xpress recalled, but "the emergence of a new, potentially more severe strain of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern."

Explaining the new study, the site said that "A team led by CDC researcher Anna Chard looked at data on the sexual habits of nearly 1,500 American men under the age of 50 who said they had sex with other men. Of those, 457 had contracted mpox; the other 1,030 had not gotten the disease."

The study's conclusion was that "condom-free, receptive anal sex was the leading risk factor for mpox infection in this group, upping a person's risk five-fold, compared to men who hadn't had this unprotected form of intercourse."

The researchers stressed that condoms alone are not a guarantee against people transmitting the virus to others, since any skin contact can easily spread the virus, as can other forms of casual contact such as sneezing.

"There is one effective means of preventing infection, however: vaccination with the Jynneos vaccine," Medical Xpress added. There is a caveat, though: The vaccine requires multiple doses, and even then, boosters are needed.