Health chiefs concerned by the global monkeypox scare have issued advice to Ireland’s gay community to urge people to check their genitalia for rashes.
The virus has been detected in 11 countries worldwide, including in the UK, which has at least 20 cases, but no infections have been confirmed in Ireland.
A new monkeypox taskforce was announced on Monday by the HSE and it has now issued specific advice about the spread of the virus through sex.
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A spokesperson said: “Most of the recent cases that have been reported in the UK self-identify as gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (gbMSM).
“Infection can be spread from person-to-person through contact with bodily fluids and skin lesions of a monkeypox case.
“Monkeypox is not very infectious – it takes close physical contact to spread between people.
“Contact with close family members or sexual contact poses the biggest risks of person-to-person spread.
“Following sexual contact, the rash can also be found initially in the anogenital areas.
“Gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (gbMSM) [are advised that] although the risk of spread in the wider community is low, the most recent cases in gbMSM communities in the UK suggests there may be a higher risk in this group.”
He added: “As the virus spreads through close contact, the HSE is advising those who self-identify as gbMSM (especially if they have undertaken international travel in the past month), to be alert to any unusual rashes or vesicular lesions on any part of their (or their partner’s) body, especially their genitalia.
“If they do notice any such changes, they should contact their local STI Clinic or their General Practitioner (GP) for advice.”
The HSE is working with Gay Heath Network to make sure that “messages are delivered in a suitable way”.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that can cause mild flu-like symptoms, including fever, aches, and a rash that forms a crust.
It is related to the killer virus Smallpox, which is estimated to have killed 300 million worldwide people in the last 122 years, but is a much milder disease.
Cases normally occur in Africa but cases are now also occurring in Europe that have no known links to Africa.
The virus, which was found in Denmark in the 1950s and in Africa in the 1970s, is now present in 11 countries across the world, including the UK, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, America, Canada and Australia.
Anyone with concerns that they have monkeypox is advised to contact their GP, their local sexual health clinic, or another health service and book a PCR test and then monitor symptoms for 21 days.
Most cases so far have been declared to be mild, but severe cases were detected in parents with young children and those with weakened immune systems.
Dr Derval Igoe, who is Interim Director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, has been appointed as the head of the HSE’s new emergency taskforce.
The senior HSE specialist revealed on Monday that close contacts of confirmed cases will be “asked to monitor temperature and they are observed over a period of 21 days after they have had their last exposure”.
Anyone who has symptoms is advised to avoid children, pregnant women, and people with reduced immune systems.
The HSE spokesman said of the worrying outbreak: “The HPSC [Health Prevention Surveillance Centre] will continue to closely monitor this situation and provide relevant updates to the public as appropriate.”
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