Men at risk of monkeypox should ‘reduce sexual partners for the moment,’ World Health Organization chief advises

THE World Health Organization has advised men at risk of catching monkeypox to consider "reducing the number of sexual partners" momentarily.

The warning comes after the WHO declared monkeypox a global health emergency on Sunday as cases worldwide exceeded 19,000.

The majority of the cases, about 98 percent, have been among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, the WHO said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has cautioned those at risk should take steps to protect themselves and others.

"That means making safe choices for yourself and others, for men who have sex with men," Ghebreyesus said.

"This includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners."

The WHO's latest warning contradicts those from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which only suggests avoiding skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that could be monkeypox.

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, has warned that "vaccines alone won't end the monkeypox outbreak".

"While vaccination may be available to some people with higher exposure risks, it is not a silver bullet," Dr Kluge said.

Meanwhile, the US has continued to see an increase in monkeypox patients, with 3,591 confirmed cases as of Wednesday.

The US confirmed its first case of  in a traveler who returned to  from  on May 17.

 has been struck the hardest with 900 confirmed cases, followed by  with 356,  with 350, and  with 309.

Traditionally, people with monkeypox have developed a fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches and muscle aches.

The symptoms are followed by a rash that starts on their face or mouth and then spreads to other parts of their body - particularly the hands and feet.

However, in some recent cases, patients first experienced a rash in the mouth or around the genitals or anus.

And instead of widespread rashes, some patients saw scattered or localized lesions in areas other than the face, hands, or feet.

At times, flu-like symptoms developed after the rash, but other people didn't have those symptoms at all.