Britain buys 100,000 more monkeypox vaccines

Britain has purchased another 100,000 monkeypox vaccines as the number of cases climbs to more than 2,130, most of them in London, officials said Tuesday.

The British health agency said that while the epidemic is spreading, the majority of cases “continue to occur in men who are gay, bisexual or who have sex with men, and the virus is transmitted mainly through close contact between members of the community.” interconnected sexual networks.

Previously, scientists had said there was no evidence monkeypox spread beyond those narrow social circles.

Monkeypox can affect anyone who has close physical contact with an infected person, with their clothes or sheets, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Last month, the British authorities expanded their vaccination strategy, offering vaccines not only to doctors or people in close contact with patients, but also to gay or bisexual men or those at high risk of contracting the virus, including those with multiple partners. sex or participating in group sex.

Authorities also recommended anyone who has been in contact with a sick person to self-isolate for three weeks unless they have symptoms. The change was made because of data that only a small number of people ever get monkeypox, and a lack of evidence that the disease spreads without sexual, close, or intimate contact.

Even so, experts called on citizens to remain vigilant for any symptoms of the disease, such as fever, headache or rashes.

“Monkeypox remains a public health challenge, and we are calling on people to pause and refrain from activities that involve skin-on-skin contact, such as sex, hugging and kissing, in order to reduce the risk of inadvertently spreading the virus,” said Dr. Merav Kliner of the British Health Agency.

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