Oman Daily Observer

New monkeypox cases take UK total to 20

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LONDON: UK health officials said on Friday there had been 11 more confirmed cases of the rare monkeypox virus in the country, taking the total to 20.

The announceme­nt came as France, Belgium and Germany reported their first cases of monkeypox and Italy confirmed it now had three linked cases of the disease, which is endemic in parts of Africa.

Cases of monkeypox have also been detected in Portugal, Spain and Sweden, as well as in the United States and Canada, leading to fears that the disease -normally concentrat­ed in Central and West Africa -- may be spreading.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had “detected 11 new cases of monkeypox in England”, up from a total of nine.

“Most cases are mild and I can confirm we have procured further doses of vaccines that are effective against monkeypox,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted.

The UKHSA’S chief medical adviser, Susan Hopkins, said that she expected “this increase to continue in the coming days and for more cases to be identified in the wider community”.

She particular­ly urged men with different sexual preference­s to look out for symptoms, saying a “notable proportion” of cases in UK and Europe came from this group.

The UKHSA said monkeypox had not previously been described as a sexually transmitte­d infection.

The World Health Organizati­on (WHO) said it was also investigat­ing the fact that many cases reported were people identifyin­g as such men.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.

It can be transmitte­d through contact with skin lesions and droplets of a contaminat­ed person, as well as shared items such as bedding and towels.

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