The British newspaper "Daily Mail" reported that a massive gay festival in the Canary Islands, attended by 80,000 people, is believed to be responsible for the global spread of monkeypox. It explained that health authorities in the Canary Islands are investigating the involvement of the "Maspalomas Pride" festival in the dissemination of monkeypox worldwide, noting that thousands of attendees from the UK and across Europe participated in the event.
It added that several confirmed cases of monkeypox in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the United States were related to individuals who attended the festival. The "Maspalomas Pride," which takes place from May 5 to May 15, attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. It is believed that after returning to their home countries, participants spread the disease among the population, a hypothesis that is currently under investigation.
A health source told the Spanish newspaper "El País," "Among about 30 people diagnosed with the virus in Madrid, many had attended this event... and it is not yet possible to determine whether one of them is patient zero or if they all contracted the virus there."
These developments come at a time when Reuters revealed that not all individuals diagnosed in the current monkeypox outbreak are gay men. Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency stated that a significant proportion of recent cases observed in the UK and Europe involve "gay and bisexual men."
Officials from the World Health Organization expressed concern about the potential for more infections as people gather for festivals, parties, and holidays during the upcoming summer months in Europe and other regions. Experts say that the disease, first identified in monkeys, can be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact, including sexual contact.
