28 Aug 2024 • The WHO on Tuesday said droplets were a minor route of transmission for mpox compared to physical contact, adding that more research was needed to understand how the outbreak is spreading.

The World Health Organization declared an international emergency over mpox on August 14, concerned by the surge in cases of the Clade 1b strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its spread to nearby countries.

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said Tuesday that if a person with the virus had lesions, “if you’re talking closely to someone, breathing on them, physically close, face-to-face, there is a possibility” of viral spread, “but this is a minor source.”

Instead, “what we’re seeing is the close, physical skin-to-skin” contact as the chief route of transmission, she told a briefing in Geneva.

The WHO recommends the use of facemasks for those with mpox, their close contacts and health workers treating them.

Source: Medical Xpress | Read full story