The development came after it emerged Spanish authorities are also investigating confirmed cases of monkeypox that have been linked to a 'sauna' - which in Spain is used to describe establishments popular with gay men looking for sex rather than just a bathhouse.Ī spokesperson for the department confirmed that one of the Italian men who has the virus was in the Canary Islands, but denied knowing if the man from Tenerife had travelled there, according to a report from the Spanish news website.Ī second Italian man who was also in the Canary Islands contracted the virus. There is no conclusive evidence that the latest outbreak is being sexually transmitted, rather than simply being passed between people who were in close proximity to each other, experts said.Īs such gay men are not believed to be more likely to contract the disease, however are potentially more likely to have been exposed to it due to the known incidences being at events and locations that attracted large numbers of people from across the LGBT+ community. There are two suspected cases in men in the Canary Islands, one with links to the LGBT+ festival. Pictured, attendees at the event this month The Gran Canarian pride festival attended by 80,000 from Britain and across Europe is being investigated after being linked to numerous monkeypox cases in Madrid, Italy and Tenerife.
