There is a global shortage of both vaccines and treatments for monkeypox, so being able to identify it and stop its spread is crucial (Image: AP/Reuters)
Researchers have found that some people with monkeypox don’t have typical symptoms, and their illness might look more like a typical STI.
A study of newly diagnosed people appears to show that “many” of those infected have only single genital lesions, or sores in the mouth or anus.
Standard symptoms of monkey pox include sores and scabs all over the body.
But research led by Queen Mary University of London said waiting to see this could be a problem, as the condition may not be immediately identified, even by doctors.
“In some people, anal and oral symptoms have resulted in people being admitted to hospital to manage pain and difficulty swallowing,” they said.
“This is why it is so important that these new clinical symptoms are recognized and that healthcare professionals are educated on how to identify and manage the disease: a misdiagnosis can delay detection and therefore hinder efforts to control the spread of the virus.” .
There have now been 2,050 confirmed cases of smallpox in England so far, most based in London.
People at risk are now eligible to receive the vaccine on the NHS, including men who have sex with men, frontline medical staff at increased risk of exposure and those who have been in close contact with a confirmed case.
Last weekend, London clinics delivered more than 1,000 vaccines.
The new study analyzed 528 confirmed infections in 43 locations around the world between April 27 and June 24, 2022.
At the moment, the disease disproportionately affects men who have sex with men, with 98% of people in this group.
But the researchers warned that while sex was the most likely way these patients caught the virus, it can be transmitted “by any close physical contact through large respiratory droplets and potentially through clothing and other surfaces “.
They warned that it is very important to be able to correctly identify monkeypox because there is a global shortage of both vaccines and treatments.
“Recognizing the disease, tracing contacts and advising people to self-isolate will be key components of the public health response,” they said.
Professor Chloe Orkin, who led the study, said: “Viruses know no borders and monkeypox infections have now been described in 70 countries and in more than 13,000 people.
People most at risk can now get a vaccine on the NHS (Image: Getty)
“We have shown that the current international case definitions should be expanded to add symptoms that are not currently included, such as sores in the mouth, on the anal mucosa and individual ulcers.
“These particular symptoms can be severe and have led to hospital admissions, so it is important to make a diagnosis. Broadening the case definition will help doctors more easily recognize the infection and thus prevent people from passing it on.”
Dr John Thornhill, who works on treating sexual health problems and is the first author of the study, said: “While we expected several skin problems and rashes, we also found that one in ten people had only one only skin lesion in the genital area, and 15 percent had anal and/or rectal pain.
“These different presentations highlight that monkeypox infections can easily be missed or confused with common sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis or herpes. Therefore, we propose expanding the current case definitions.
“We also found monkeypox virus in a large proportion of the semen samples tested from people with monkeypox. However, this may be incidental, as we do not know that it is present at high enough levels to facilitate sexual transmission. More work is needed to better understand it.”
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