In an effort to fight monkeypox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines on Friday, recommending people limit their sexual partners.
The agency excluded any specific direction toward same-sex partners despite nearly 98% of cases occurring in homosexual men, according to CDC data from last month.
"Spaces like back rooms, saunas, sex clubs, or private and public sex parties, where intimate, often anonymous sexual contact with multiple partners occurs — are more likely to spread monkeypox," the agency wrote.
The CDC also encouraged sexually active individuals to vaccinate against the virus, noting that "avoiding behaviors that increase risk of monkeypox exposure is also important when you are between your first and second shots of vaccine."
"Your protection will be highest two weeks after your second dose of vaccine," it added.
New guidelines from the CDC appear a day after the White House declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency after spreading to more than 70 countries worldwide, NBC News reported.
"We're prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press briefing.
New York state, California, and Illinois declared their own state of emergency over the outbreak last week. Last month, the World Health Organization also labeled monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.
"We continue to marshal forward the tools that we need to make sure that we can take on monkeypox and keep it from spreading to the point of becoming endemic," Becerra said.
"There should be no reason why we can't stay ahead of this if we all work together," he added.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.