On Tuesday, the WHO stated that droplets were a less common method of mpox transmission than physical contact, but further study was required to fully comprehend the dynamics of the outbreak’s propagation.
A global health emergency for mpox was proclaimed by the World Health Organization on August 14, due to the increase in cases of the Clade 1b strain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its spread to neighboring countries.
On its website, the UN health agency states that the primary method of mpox transmission is close physical contact with an infected individual.
“Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing),” it says.
It may also involve “being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles)” .
According to Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, “if you’re talking closely to someone, breathing on them, physically close, face-to-face, there is a possibility” of viral dissemination if the infected person had lesions, “but this is a minor source”.
Rather, she stated in a Geneva briefing that “what we’re seeing is the close, physical skin-to-skin” contact as the primary mode of transmission.
“When you’re talking to somebody, you’re spitting out droplets,” but “it’s not a very major form of transmission — and it’s not a… through-the-air, long-distance sort of transmission”.
“More research is needed to fully understand the transmission dynamics,” Harris added.
The WHO recommends the use of facemasks for those with mpox, their close contacts and health workers treating them.
