This illustration shows test tubes labeled “Monkeypox virus positive and negative” on May 23, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]
LONDON – A new law declaring monkeypox smallpox a legal illness came into force in Britain on Wednesday, meaning all doctors in England must notify their local council or local medical team. health protection on any suspected case of smallpox.
Laboratories must also notify the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) if the virus is identified in a laboratory sample.
“Rapid diagnosis and notification are the key to interrupting transmission and containing any other spread of monkeypox. This new legislation will help us and our health partners quickly identify, treat and control the disease,” he said. Wendi Shepherd, director of monkeypox incidents at the UKHSA. .
Francois Balloux, a professor of computer systems biology and director of the Institute of Genetics at University College London, said the new law means that “all suspected cases of smallpox should be reported. a sensible change in regulation, as it improves surveillance and facilitates contact. ” tracking, although it does not reflect a change in current containment measures. “
In the latest bulletin on Wednesday, the UKHSA said it had detected 321 cases of monkeypox nationwide as of Tuesday, with 305 cases confirmed in England, 11 in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and three in Wales. .
“Anyone can get monkeypox, especially if they have had close contact, including sexual contact with a person with symptoms,” said the UKHSA, which advised people to contact sexual health clinics. if they have a blistering rash and have been in West or Central Africa. in the last three weeks or having been in close contact with someone who has or may have had monkeypox in the last three weeks.
David Heymann, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that “making monkeypox a declarative disease suggests a desire to make sure it has reports” from all sectors. and from all parts of the National Health Service.
“It suggests that the government wants to focus surveillance on the entire population, not just the risk groups identified so far. This will allow a clear identification of all risk groups and help to better understand the epidemiology and scope of the spread, “Heymann said.
Paul Hunter, an expert in microbiology and communicable disease control, told Xinhua in a recent interview that “monkey pox is not a COVID situation and will never be a COVID situation.”
Hunter said scientists were baffled, as there currently appears to be no apparent link between many cases in the current wave of monkeypox infections.