The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday recommended that men who have sex with men should reduce the number of sexual partners, in light of the Monkeypox outbreak in several countries.

The best way to protect themselves is to "reduce the risk of exposure to the disease," WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

"For men who have sex with men, that also means, for now, reducing the number of their sexual partners and exchanging information with any new partners to be able to contact them" in case symptoms appear, so they can isolate themselves," explained Tedros Ghebreyesus, after the WHO on Saturday declared the disease a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert.

The surveys show that 98% infections were reported among men who have sex with men, so the Director-General stressed the importance of protecting this population and preventing the spread of the virus.

More than 18,800 cases of Monkeypox have been detected worldwide since the beginning of last May. The disease has been reported in 78 countries so far and 70% of the cases are concentrated in Europe and 25% in the Americas, the WHO official said. Five people have died from the disease and about 10% of the cases require hospitalization to try to relieve patients' pain.

Discovered in 1958, monkeypox was so named because it was first observed in primates used in research. It circulates mainly among rodents, and humans can become infected by eating the meat, coming into contact with dead animals, or being injured by them.

Preliminary analyses on the first cases of the outbreak in Europe and North America showed that the virus was detected by primary care or sexual health services and the main patients were men who have sex with other men. However, the WHO has already warned that this is not a disease that affects specific groups and that anyone can contract it if they have close contact with someone infected.

The smallpox vaccine, as well as antivirals and 'vaccinia' immunoglobulin (VIG), can be given as prevention and treatment for Monkeypox, a rare disease.