Almost 200 cases of monkeypox reported across the globe, according to WHO

After an outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection similar to smallpox, began last week, almost 200 cases have been reported across more than 20 countries, according to the World Health Organisation. The Associated Press noted that this number seems likely an undercount, though.

Meanwhile, various health professionals and officials continue to dispute the cause of the virus. Doctors in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Canada, the US. and elsewhere have noted that the majority of infections to date have been in gay and bisexual men.

But earlier this week, the WHO stressed that monkeypox is “not a gay disease“. Andy Seale, from the WHO’s Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STD Programmes, said…

“There’s a lot of stigma and discrimination that surrounds many diseases. While we’re seeing some cases amongst men who have sex with men, this is not a gay disease.”

Several…