Americans who think they might have been exposed to monkeypox should take precautions like masturbating 6 feet apart from their partner to prevent the spread of the virus, according to health officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month issued a list of safe activities for sexually active patients to engage in. Among the recommendations are avoiding kissing and “having sex with your clothes on or covering areas where rash or sores are present.”
Patients and prospective patients are also advised to “wash your hands, fetish gear, sex toys and any fabrics” after having sex and “masturbate together at a distance of at least 6 feet, without touching each other and without touching any rash or sores.”
The odd guidance invoked New York City’s bizarre recommendation that sexually active people use “glory holes” during the coronavirus pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The World Health Organization is investigating whether monkeypox can be sexually transmitted after the virus was detected in a patient’s semen.
The vast majority of the monkeypox cases in England were connected to sexually active gay men, health officials said last week.
There were 19 confirmed cases of the potentially serious virus in New York City, officials said Thursday.
Patients experience a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes before developing a rash on their face and body.
The virus is not nearly as contagious as COVID-19 and is transmitted through bodily fluids and prolonged contact with infected areas, the health department said.