More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox – a usually mild disease that spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions – were reported in May outside Africa where the virus is endemic.
Scientists are investigating what could explain this unusual surge in cases, since most are not travel-related.
On Monday, the UKHSA said that https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-health-agencies-issue-monkeypox-guidance-to-control-transmission community transmission was ongoing in the UK and those infected should avoid contact with others until their lesions had healed and the scabs had dried.
Infected people can limit the risk of spread by using standard cleaning and disinfection methods, and by washing their own clothes and bedding with detergents in a washing machine, the agency advised.
In addition, infected people should abstain from sexual intercourse as soon as symptoms appear. Although there is currently no evidence that monkeypox is spread through genital excretion, people infected with the virus are advised to use condoms for eight weeks after infection as a precaution, added the agency.
The highest risk of transmission is direct contact with someone with monkeypox – but the overall risk to the UK population remains low, said Ruth Milton, Senior Medical Adviser and Director of Monkeypox Strategic Response the UKHSA.
The agency, which offers a vaccine to close contacts of cases, has procured more than 20,000 doses of a smallpox vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic.
Smallpox and monkeypox viruses are closely related.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The UKHSA has recommended that healthcare staff working with confirmed and suspected cases wear personal protective equipment including gowns, goggles and gloves.
The vaccine will now also be offered to healthcare staff involved in the care of patients with confirmed monkeypox and to staff working in sexual health services who have been identified as assessing suspected cases.
Meanwhile, in settings such as adult social services, prisons and homeless shelters, patients must be cared for in a single room with a separate toilet.
The risk of a case infecting a pet is low, the agency adds.