Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Most of the monkeypox cases recorded so far have been linked to sexual activity, but research published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Control (CDC) on Wednesday offers new insight into other ways of transmission of the virus. potential.
About two weeks after he attended a “large, crowded outdoor event where he mixed closely with others, including intimate dancing, for a few hours,” one man noticed lesions, then a rash, according to researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine.
He tested positive for monkeypox after he went to the emergency department for care, about a week later.
The researchers wrote that “the patient’s primary risk factor was close, non-sexual mixing with several unknown persons during the crowded event,” and this case highlights “the potential for outbreaks in such gatherings, which could have implications for epidemiological control.”
The event that the man attended in the UK was not loud, and neither gays nor bisexuals specifically or in general attended, according to the researchers.
While many of the attendees wore tanks and shorts, the man was wearing pants and a short-sleeved blouse.
The man did not notice anyone with skin lesions or appearing ill, and he attended some other similar events over the next four days.
According to CDC guidelines, “monkeypox can be transmitted to anyone” through close mixing, which often includes skin-to-skin contact, as well as intimate mixing that includes sex, hugs, and kissing.
The patient, who had recently returned to the United States from the United Kingdom, in his twenties, did not report any sexual contact and had no evidence of lesions on his genitals.
The results of positive saliva samples and nasal swabs confirmed that the man was infected with the virus, although the patient did not report any related signs of illness such as heat, chills, or cough.
An earlier analysis of monkeypox cases by the Centers for Disease Control found that early warning signs of the disease are less common in the current wave than those of “typical” monkeypox.