Mpox patient had 75 sexual partners in 21 days – IMJ

A new study into the spread of Mpox in Ireland between May 2022 and May 2023 has shown that one of the people infected had 75 sexual partners in the previous 21 days.

The Irish Medical Journal study found that 229 people were infected over the 12 months.

The gender of those infected was male in 226 cases and female in three cases, according to the study.

The ages of those affected ranged from 16 to 68, with almost half, 46%, aged between 18 and 34.

The median number of sexual partners for those infected was two over the previous 21 days.

Almost 99% identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.

While Ireland was the country of birth for almost half of those infected, just under a third came from Latin America.

Over 28% were HIV positive, while just over one in ten of those infected were admitted to hospital.

The Mpox outbreak peaked in summer of 2022, followed by a rapid decline in cases.

The study was conducted by the Health Protection Surveillance, the Health Service Executive and HIV Ireland.