- The CDC issued sex guidance for people who think they might have been exposed to monkeypox.
- The recommendations include socially distanced masturbation in order to avoid spreading the virus.
- "Masturbate together at a distance of at least 6 feet, without touching each other," the CDC says.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new sex guidance for people who think they might have been exposed to monkeypox — and it includes socially distanced masturbation to avoid spreading the virus.
The "social gatherings, safer sex, and monkeypox" CDC precautions were issued earlier this month.
If a person or their partner has monkeypox or believes they have contracted the disease and they decide to have sex, the CDC recommends that they "avoid kissing" and "masturbate together at a distance of at least 6 feet, without touching each other and without touching any rash or sores."
The CDC also advises that those who have been exposed to monkeypox have "virtual sex" or "consider having sex with your clothes on or covering areas where rash or sores are present, reducing as much skin-to-skin contact as possible."
Additionally, the CDC recommends that those potentially infected with monkeypox "wash your hands, fetish gear, sex toys and any fabrics (bedding, towels, clothing) after having sex."
"Limit your number of partners to avoid opportunities for monkeypox to spread," the CDC says.
The current outbreak of monkeypox — a rare viral infection that primarily occurs in Central and West Africa — has recently been detected across the globe, including in Europe and the United States.
Monkeypox can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever and muscle aches, and can prompt rashes and pus-filled boils that cover the body.
It can spread to anyone through "close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact," the CDC said.
The CDC says that "direct contact with monkeypox rash, sores, or scabs from a person with monkeypox" is believed to currently be "the most common way that monkeypox is spreading in the US."
Monkeypox symptoms typically start within two weeks of exposure to the virus, according to the health agency.
According to the latest CDC data, the federal agency has confirmed 100 cases of monkeypox in the US, with California having the majority of cases at 21, followed by New York with 17 cases.
There are more than 2,100 monkeypox cases globally across 37 countries, CDC data shows.