Monkeypox: Confirmed U.K. Cases Near 2,500

Healthcare Monkeypox: Confirmed U. K. Cases Near 2,500 Katherine Hignett Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

I write about U. K. health policy.

New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Jul 29, 2022, 05:50pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin These images show lesions caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. UK Health Security Agency Monkeypox continues to spread in the U.

K. , with confirmed cases reaching 2,469 on Thursday — an increase of about 100 since Monday. A futher 77 ‘highly probable’ infections have been reported in the country.

U. K. cases have more than doubled over the last month, with 1,076 confirmed as of the end of June.

Most have been found in England, with the vast majority of those detected in London — the epicenter of the country’s outbreak. The U. K.

‘s Health Security Agency says monkeypox is predominantly spreading in interconnected sexual networks, with most cases so far found in men who have sex with men. But anyone can catch the virus, which can be passed on through via close contact with an infected person or contaminated items like bedsheets. Officials have advised members of the public to check themselves carefully for symptoms including rashes and blisters before having sex or attending events.

The World Health Organization also recommends continued use of condoms for 12 weeks after infection to prevent transmission. The U. K.

has ordered around 130,000 doses of a vaccine that can protect against monkeypox. As they arrive, they’re being offered to those most at risk of catching the virus. MORE FOR YOU CDC: Salmonella Outbreak Has Left 279 Ill, 26 Hospitalized In 29 States Canadians End Up In ICU After Attending ‘Covid Party’ White House Mandates Pfizer Vaccines for Millions of Citizens .

. . Before the FDA Clinical or Safety Reviews Have Been Made Public UKHSA National Incident Director Dr Sophia Makki says: “Vaccination will further strengthen our monkeypox response and so we urge all those who are eligible for the vaccine to take it up when offered.

It will help protect yourself and others you have had close contact with. “While the infection is mild for many, it can cause severe symptoms and hospitalisation in some. Please remember that the vaccine may not provide complete protection against monkeypox, so it is still important to be alert for the symptoms.

” As well as characteristic lesions, monkeypox can cause symptoms including a high temperature, swollen glands and aches. Symptoms tend to appear between 5 and 21 days after infection, according to England’s National Health Service . They are usually mild and tend to resolve within a few weeks, with most infected people able to recover at home.

But the disease can cause severe illness and even death, with children, the elderly, those with certain long-term conditions most likely to need hospital treatment. Last week, the WHO declared the global outbreak a public health emergecny of international cocnern. Although it’s still considered a rare virus, cases continue to grow in regions like Europe and North America, where the virus is not endemic.

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