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Mpox outbreak in France: epidemiological characteristics and sexual behaviour of cases aged 15 years or older, 2022
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsCatarina KrugCatarina.krug santepubliquefrance.fr
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Investigation Team (alphabetically): Lazare AGBAHOUNGBA, Amina AHAMADI, Ulviyya ALIZADA, Catherine AVENTINI, Patrick BAGUET, Elsa BALLEYDIER, Marie BARBA-VASSEUR, Anne-Sophie BARRET, Catherine BEC, Leila BEIKHEIRA, Anne BERNADOU, Julien BERRA, Nathalie BONNET, Elise BROTTET, Patrick CALEN, Carole DAGORNE, Sander DE SOUZA, Brigitte DEMMA, Audrey DIAVOLO, Florence DIDIER, Frédérique DORLEANS, Jacques EL KOURI, Céline ERIEAU, Julie FIGONI, Lucie FOURNIER, Sabrina FOURNIER, Diane FRANÇOIS, Olivier GLASS, Sophie GRELLET, Axel GRELLIER, Carine GRENIER, Jean-Paul GUYONNET, Valerie HENRY, Robin LE BARREAU, Clara LEYENDECKER, Louise LUAN, Yoann MALLET, Laurence MARAIS, Nathalie MATHEVET, Christine MEFFRE, Abdoul Djamal MOUKAILA, Ronan OLLIVIER, Damien OTT, Isabelle PARENT, Christine PERE, Laure PETIT-MADE, Valérie PONTIÈS, Philippe REBOUD, Laura REQUES, Patrick ROLLAND, Asma SAIDOUNI OULEBSIR, Lucie SAUTRON, Yassoungo SILUE, Ndeye Fatou SOW, Guillaume SPACCAFERRI, Ami YAMADA, Gabriel YUBERO, Aurélien ZHU-SOUBISEView Citation Hide Citation
Citation style for this article: . Mpox outbreak in France: epidemiological characteristics and sexual behaviour of cases aged 15 years or older, 2022. Euro Surveill. 2023;28(50):pii=2200923. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.50.2200923 Received: 30 Nov 2022; Accepted: 21 Apr 2023
Abstract
Locally-acquired mpox cases were rarely reported outside Africa until May 2022, when locally-acquired-mpox cases occurred in various European countries.
We describe the mpox epidemic in France, including demographic and behavioural changes among a subset of cases, during its course.
Data were retrieved from the enhanced national surveillance system until 30 September 2022. Laboratory-confirmed cases tested positive for monkeypox virus or orthopoxviruses by PCR; non-laboratory-confirmed cases had clinical symptoms and an epidemiological link to a laboratory-confirmed case. A subset of ≥ 15-year-old male cases, notified until 1 August, was interviewed for epidemiological, clinical and sexual behaviour information. Association of symptom-onset month with quantitative outcomes was evaluated by t- or Wilcoxon tests, and with binary outcomes, by Pearson’s chi-squared or Fisher exact tests.
A total of 4,856 mpox cases were notified, mostly in Île-de-France region (62%; 3,025/4,855). Cases aged ≥ 15 years were predominantly male (97%; 4,668/4,812), with 37 years (range: 15–81) as mean age. Between May and July, among the subset interviewed, mpox cases increased in regions other than Île-de-France, and mean age rose from 35 (range: 21–64) to 38 years (range: 16–75; p = 0.007). Proportions of cases attending men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) meeting venues declined from 60% (55/91) to 46% (164/359; p = 0.012); median number of sexual partners decreased from four (interquartile range (IQR): 1–10) to two (IQR: 1–4; p < 0.001).
Changes in cases’ characteristics during the epidemic, could reflect virus spread from people who were more to less behaviourally vulnerable to mpox between May and July, or MSM reducing numbers of sexual partners as recommended.
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