In a public health campaign designed “by kinksters, for kinksters,” the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for Europe’s festival-goers to protect themselves against monkeypox, including getting vaccinated if possible.
In a statement, the health body warned those at a higher risk of catching the disease — men who have sex with men with multiple sexual partners — to “continue to be aware of the symptoms of mpox, get tested and abstain from sex if they develop symptoms, and get the mpox vaccine if possible.”
The warning is “particularly important as we go into the spring and summer months, when a number of kink and fetish events, as well as numerous Pride festivals, are set to take place across towns and cities throughout Europe,” the statement said.
Monkeypox — which the WHO renamed mpox in an effort to reduce stigma associated with the disease — is transmitted between humans through close contact with an infected person.
The appearance of the first cases outside of Africa — where the virus is endemic — last May raised fears that mpox would gain a foothold on other continents. This prompted the WHO to declare the outbreak a global emergency in July, as the number of reported cases reached thousands.
Although the outbreak has since slowed, with 28 cases reported in March across Europe according to the latest WHO data, health experts have warned the outbreak is not over, and called on at-risk populations to remain vigilant.
