UKHSA says monkeypox appears to be spreading from person to person in the UK
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON — The UK’s Health Safety Administration (UKHSA) said monkeypox appeared to be spreading from person to person in the UK on Wednesday (1/6/2022). This usually mild viral disease is known to spread through close contact.
“The current outbreak is the first time the virus has been passed from person to person in the UK where travel links to an endemic country have not been identified,” the UKHSA said.
Monkeypox was originally only endemic to West and Central Africa. Until early May, cases were rare outside Africa and were usually associated with travel there.
According to UKHSA, the UK has reported 132 monkey pox case with the majority of cases in London. While 111 cases are known to have occurred in gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, only two cases occurred in women.
So far, UKHSA has identified links to the spread of monkeypox to gay bars, saunas and use of dating apps in the UK and abroad. “Investigations are continuing but at this time no single factor or exposure linking the cases has been identified,” the agency warned.
Monkeypox can affect anyone, but many of the latest diagnoses are community GBMSM. “As with any new disease outbreak, the risk of stigma and uncertainty is enormous,” said Kevin Fenton, regional director for public health London.
UKHSA works with groups including the British Sexual Health Association and HIV and dating app Grindr to communicate with sexual health services and the GBMSM community. It has also prompted organizers of the LGBT Pride and Consortium event to help with messaging in the coming weeks.
Monkeypox usually causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions that usually clear up on their own within a few weeks. However, the disease can kill a small percentage of those who are infected. British health authorities are offering the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, Imvanex, to contacts of confirmed or suspected cases.
Cases of monkeypox are steadily increasing outside Africa, mostly in Europe, and scientists are trying to figure out the reasons behind its spread. The World Health Organization said it has so far received reports of more than 550 confirmed cases of the viral illness from 30 countries outside Africa.
