Madrid clinic believes monkeypox sexually transmitted

The clinic in Madrid that identified the first cases of monkeypox in Spain, believes that the disease may be sexually transmitted, with the first cases all from the LGBTQI community.

Dr Jorge Romero, the Director of the Sandoval Centre, told 20minutos on Thursday, May 19, that the first cases were all detected in the same clinic. He said that is “complete certainty” that the disease could end up being considered a sexually transmitted disease.  

Sandoval is in involved in the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infectious diseases.

Dr Romero explained: “It is transmitted sexually, and it can also be transmitted in other ways, but of course it does so through sexual intercourse.

“The skin lesions that they are seeing in the clinic are wounds “in the genital areas, mainly in the perianal area, but also in the oral area.”

The Public Health Department of the Community of Madrid this Thursday that 11 more men have come to the centre with an infection similar to the first seven confirmed cases.

Dr Romero has assured the public that “in the almost one hundred years” that the clinic has been in business, it had never seen a classic sexually transmitted disease (STD).”

He continued, saying people should not be alarmed: “None of the men has required hospital admission,” Del Romero explained. “It’s considered a self-limited infection and nothing is prescribed, just an antiseptic lotion to dry the most exuding wounds.”

Monkeypox, which causes fever, myalgia, swollen lymph nodes and rashes similar to chickenpox, is transmitted through bodily fluids and close contact.

Dr Romero believes that there has been community transmission, since some cases are associated “with a party or sex session.” In some of these men, classic STDs (such as gonorrhoea or syphilis) have been identified and associated with monkeypox.

The Sandoval Centre specialises in helping the LGBTQI community which is why all the cases they have identified are men, but as the director of the clinic believes that the disease is sexually transmitted it will eventually affect women.

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