Friday 20 May 2022 12:34 AM Britain's monkeypox outbreak 'DOUBLES in size': Eleven new cases 'will be ... trends now
The monkeypox outbreak in Britain has doubled in size, health officials will announce today.
Britain has been stocking up on thousands of monkeypox vaccines and treatments amid fears the current spate of cases is only the tip of the iceberg.
Nine Britons had been diagnosed with the contagious virus so far but a further 11 are set to be confirmed today, The Times reported.
The majority of cases are not linked, suggesting it is spreading more widely, although ministers are considering a public health campaign to warn gay men it may be more prevalent for them.
Although monkeypox is not classed as a sexualy transmitted disease, many recent cases in the UK were in men who have sex with other men.
The UK's drug watchdog told MailOnline it was monitoring the current outbreak and 'working with companies to speedily bring forward suitable treatments'.
Health chiefs also revealed to MailOnline they have bought thousands of vaccine doses and are already deploying them to close contacts of infected Britons.
Antiviral drugs and jabs designed to target smallpox have cross protection against monkeypox, with the two viruses genetically very similar.
Nine Britons have been diagnosed with monkeypox and all but one of them appear to have contracted it in the UK. The original UK patient had brought the virus back from Nigeria, where the disease is widespread. At least three patients are receiving care at specialist NHS units in London and Newcastle
The latest outbreak has been described as 'unusual' by experts because person-to-person transmission of monkeypox was thought to be extremely rare.
Six of Britain's cases are in gay or bisexual men, which officials say is 'highly suggestive of spread in sexual networks'.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, urged gay and bisexual men to check if they have irregular rashes and talk to a sexual health doctor if concerned.
Cases have also been announced in the US, Spain and Portugal, making it the most widespread monkeypox outbreak to date. Canada also has suspected cases.
Britons who have been in close contact with monkeypox cases are being given an off-label vaccine known as Imvanex (file)
Cases have also been announced in the US, Spain and Portugal, making it the most widespread monkeypox outbreak to date. Canada has suspected cases
There are a handful of antivirals and therapies for smallpox that appear to work on monkeypox, including the drug tecovirimat, which was approved for monkeypox in the EU in January
Monkeypox can kill up to one in ten people who get it but the new cases have the West African variant, which is deadly for around one in 100.
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 chickenpox or syphilis, before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.
A vaccine, known as Imvanex, was approved in 2013 in the UK to treat smallpox, but studies have since shown it is 85 per cent effective at preventing monkeypox.
It is not approved for monkeypox in the UK but health professionals can use it 'off-label'.
Imvanex is already being offered to close contacts of positive cases and medics treating cases 'based on their risk factor'.
Monkeypox has an incubation period of up to 21 days, which is why positive cases and their contacts are being made to isolate for three weeks.
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection which kills up to one in ten of those infected but does not spread easily between people. The tropical disease is endemic in parts of Africa and is known for its rare and unusual rashes, bumps and lesions (file photo)
Nurses and doctors are being advised to stay 'alert' to patients who present with a new rash or scabby lesions (like above)
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: 'We have taken active steps to be prepared for further cases of monkeypox in the UK and have secured thousands of doses
