Just because it can spread during sex does not mean it is the virus' primary route of transmission, nor does it make it an STI.
'This is further suggested by the fact that common contacts have been identified for only two of the four latest cases.' 'However, the high proportion of cases in the current outbreak in England that are gay or bisexual (4/7, 57 per cent) is highly suggestive of spread in sexual networks. 'Close contact between two people (such as during sex) could facilitate transmission – but this has never been described before. 'This is a novel route of transmission that will have implications for outbreak response and control,' he added. He said it was 'bizarre' that cases 'appear to have acquired the infection via sexual contact'. Mateo Prochazka, an STI expert and head of UKHSA team probing the outbreak, detailed the UK's seven new cases in a Twitter thread earlier today.
