Monkeypox test results. Reuters
Monkeypox test results. Reuters
Monkeypox test results. Reuters
Monkeypox test results. Reuters

Sharp rise in number of UK monkeypox cases


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox in the UK has more than doubled to 57.

The new figure from the UK Health Security Agency is an increase on the 20 cases previously confirmed.

England now has 56 confirmed cases with Scotland confirming its first case on Monday.

Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency and Public Health Wales each said they have had no confirmed cases.

Health officials said that while the outbreak was “significant and concerning”, the risk to the UK population remained low.

The government has stocks of the smallpox vaccine that is being offered to very close contacts of those affected.

Those at the highest risk of contracting the disease are being asked to isolate at home for 21 days, with others warned to be on the lookout for symptoms.

Transmission between people is occurring in the UK, with a large proportion of cases identifying themselves as gay or bisexual, and men who have sex with other men.

Monkeypox is not normally a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by direct contact during sex.

It can also be spread through touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash, and through the coughs and sneezes of someone with the infection.

The disease is usually mild but can cause severe illness in some cases.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

A rash can develop, often starting on the face, which then spreads to other parts of the body including the genitals.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK authority, thanked people affected for coming forward, saying they were “helping us limit the spread of this infection in the UK”.

“Because the virus spreads through close contact, we are urging everyone to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service if they have any symptoms,” Dr Hopkins said.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said monkeypox is a rare disease but it is important to “keep an eye on it”.

“It’s basically a very rare disease and so far the consequences don’t seem to be very serious, but it’s important that we keep an eye on it and that’s exactly what the the new UK Health Security Agency is doing,” Mr Johnson said on a visit to a school in south-east London.

Asked whether there should be quarantine for visitors or the use of the smallpox vaccine, he said: “As things stand, the judgment is that it’s rare.

“I think we’re looking very carefully at the circumstances of transmission," Mr Johnson said. "It hasn’t yet proved fatal in any case that we know of, certainly not in this country.”

Downing Street said there were no plans to hold a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee over monkeypox, or to impose any travel bans.

Mr Johnson's official spokesman said that while vaccines were being offered to close contacts, there were no plans for an “at scale” vaccination programme.

Monkeypox is usually found in West Africa and does not often spread elsewhere.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, an expert in infectious diseases, said "super-spreader' events were likely to be behind the rise in global cases.

Monkeypox has been reported in more than a dozen countries including Spain and Portugal, say epidemiologists at Harvard University.

“The virus may have changed but I think that’s unlikely," Mr Farrar told BBC Radio 4.

"More likely is, I think, that the niche that this virus now finds itself in has allowed for some super-spreader events and those individuals involved in that have then travelled to other parts of the world and taken the infection with them."

Key fixtures from January 5-7

Watford v Bristol City

Liverpool v Everton

Brighton v Crystal Palace

Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan

Coventry v Stoke City

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Manchester United v Derby

Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom

Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon

Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City

Manchester City v Burnley

Shrewsbury v West Ham United

Wolves v Swansea City

Newcastle United v Luton Town

Fulham v Southampton

Norwich City v Chelsea

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:

Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first

England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66

South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports

SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Shalash%3Cbr%3ETranslator%3A%20Luke%20Leafgren%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20352%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20And%20Other%20Stories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The biog

DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister

Updated: May 23, 2022, 8:11 PM`