Four more have monkeypox as gay men told to be ‘aware of rashes’

FOUR more cases of monkeypox have been identified in England, health chiefs have said, but they are not connected to the previous three patients.

The new cases take the total across the country to seven and are not linked to travel to a country where the infection is endemic, such as in west and central Africa.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the infection does not easily spread between people and the risk to the population is low. The virus kills up to one in 10 of those infected.

But it added the most recent cases are among gay and bisexual men, and advised these groups to be alert to any unsual rashes and lesions on the body. The first monkeypox case was confirmed in England on May 7, two further cases were confirmed a week later.

The first case was a person with recent travel history from Nigeria, where they are believed to have contracted the infection.

Monkeypox is a viral infection typically associated with travel to Africa. It can be spread via close contact and usually presents as a mild illness.

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

A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body, including the genitals.

The rash changes and goes through different stages, and can look like chicken pox or syphilis, before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.

The infection can be caught from infected wild animals in west and central Africa, such as rats, mice and squirrels, according to NHS England,

It is “very uncommon” to catch monkeypox from a person, it said.

Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser, UKHSA, said: “This is rare and unusual. UKHSA is rapidly investigating the source of these infections because the evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox infection in the community, spread by close contact.

“We are particularly urging men who are gay and bisexual to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service without delay.”