There have now been over 1,000 cases of monkeypox confirmed in the UK.
Monkeypox is a rare infection that’s mainly spread by wild animals in parts of west or central Africa. The risk of catching it in the UK tends to be low, however, as of Sunday, June 26, the total number of cases reported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has risen to 1,076.
Gay men, bisexual men or men who have sex with other men, in particular, have been urged to pay extra attention to the symptoms of the virus as the UKHSA claims “the majority of the cases” identified to date have been among this group.
READ MORE: ‘Monkeypox can be spread by anyone, not just the LGBTQIA+ community’
Dr Sophia Makki, incident director at UKHSA said: “The monkeypox outbreak in the UK continues to grow, with over a thousand cases now confirmed nationwide. We expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and weeks. If you are attending large events over the summer or having sex with new partners, be alert to any monkeypox symptoms so you can get tested rapidly and help avoid passing the infection on. Currently, the majority of cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men. However, anyone who has had close contact with an individual with symptoms is also at increased risk."
Early symptoms include high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering and exhaustion, with a rash usually appearing up to five days after the first symptoms. It can be treated with the smallpox vaccine along with antiviral drugs. Monkeypox rarely passes between people but can be passed on via close person-to-person contact or contact with items used by a person who has the virus, such as clothes, bedding or utensils.
Dr Sophia Makki added: “If you are concerned that you may have monkeypox, don’t go to events, meet with friends or have sexual contact. Instead, stay at home and contact 111 or your local sexual health service for advice. We are grateful to all the people who have come forward so far for testing and to assist us with our contact tracing.”
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