MONKEYPOX cases have now reached 106 and the British are increasingly concerned about the virus.
Despite some fears, health officials are urging those who are concerned about the virus to contact sexual health clinics instead of bombing 111.
The head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Mateo Prochazka, wants staff to be able to focus on managing other health consultations.
Mr Prochazka told the Daily Telegraph: “Sexual health clinics are not just for gay and bisexual men.
“Anyone can be seen in a sexual health clinic, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or identity. Everyone is welcome.
“There are other potential avenues to try to get into the system, perhaps by calling NHS 111, but this resource has really been overloaded with everyone who has called with a rash.”
The NHS has also indicated what you should do if you catch the virus.
They say: “Because the infection can spread through close contact, it is important to isolate yourself if you are diagnosed.
“You may be asked to isolate yourself at home if your symptoms are mild.
“If your symptoms are severe or you have a higher risk of getting seriously ill (for example, if you have a weakened immune system), you may need to stay in a specialist hospital until you recover.
“Vaccination can be offered to reduce the risk of serious illness.”
At least three people in the South West have been vaccinated against monkeypox after close contact with an infected person.
Two people from Exeter and one person from Bristol received a smallpox vaccine after possible exposure to the virus.
Read our Monkeypox blog below for the latest news and updates …
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The monkeypox outbreak could be just “the tip of the iceberg”
The World Health Organization has warned that 200 cases of monkeypox found in recent weeks outside countries where the virus is commonly circulating could be just the beginning.
Sylvie Briand, WHO’s head of prevention and preparedness for epidemics and pandemics, said: “We don’t know if we’re just seeing the peak of the iceberg. [or] if there are many more cases that are not detected in the communities ”.
Smallpox is related to smallpox, a deadly disease that was eradicated in 1980.
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The US CDC publishes guidelines on the smallpox vaccine vaccine
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday released recommendations from its group of independent experts on a smallpox vaccine that limit its use only to people who work closely with viruses such as smallpox. monkey.
The Jynneos vaccine, made by Bavarian Nordic, will be available to recommended groups at a time when monkeypox infections are spreading in Europe, the United States and beyond.
The publication of the CDC Immunization Practice Advisory Committee vote, which took place in November last year, formalizes the recommendations.
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Holiday warning when smallpox monkey arrives in the UK’s favorite summer destination
A British tourist staying in a favorite holiday spot in Spain is being tested for smallpox.
Health officials in the region confirmed that the summer stay on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura was one of five new suspicious cases currently being analyzed.
The age of the unnamed man, who is believed to be the first British tourist affected in Spain since the country announced its first cases last week, has not been revealed.
A spokesman for the Canary Islands Health Service confirmed in a brief statement: “A suspected case of smallpox in Fuerteventura corresponds to a British tourist.”
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
Authorities have not said whether he is on holiday alone on the island or relaxing with relatives who are also being tested.
Spain has so far confirmed about 40 cases of smallpox and said that 67 more people are being tested.
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The Irish health executive says it expects more cases
The Health Service Executive (HSE) expects more cases of monkeypox in the coming days as public health officials step up their efforts to contain a virus that originates in the jungles of West Africa and central.
The HSE is trying to locate people who may have been exposed to the virus by a man in the east of the country who tested positive on Friday after showing symptoms. The results of the tests on a second suspicious case are expected.
The Northern Ireland Public Health Agency filed its first case on Thursday and expects more in the coming weeks.
In a statement yesterday, the HSE said that people infected with monkeypox usually recover within a few weeks, although it warned that serious illness could occur in people with weak immune systems, pregnant women and babies. There is no known cure.
Kim Roberts, an assistant professor of virology at Trinity College Dublin, said more cases are almost certain, as it can take up to seven days, and sometimes weeks, for symptoms to develop after exposure.
“This means that it may take longer to identify cases at this stage, but also that public health teams have time to identify first contacts and break the transmission rate. I would expect the figures in the different countries that have experienced outbreaks it will increase in the coming weeks and months, but then fall as public health teams break the transmission cycle, ”he said.
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Covid hospital cases have been falling to the lowest level since last summer
Covid-19 hospital cases have fallen to their lowest rate since last summer, an expert said.
Professor Linda Bauld said on Friday that daily hospital cases with the virus had dropped to less than 50, the first time the figure had dropped so low in almost a year.
He also added that there were “about 650” people in the hospital with the virus, compared to more than 2,000 last month.
“We have seen a significant decrease in infection levels in the community,” he told BBC Radio Scotland on Friday.
“The infection survey (from the National Bureau of Statistics) will have some results today that show another drop.”
He added: “This number R, which no one else hears, but is still among us, is far below … it is between 0.7 and 0.9.”
However, Professor Bauld stressed that the virus had not disappeared and the potential for new variants remains.
The Omicron variant, which spread aggressively during the winter, caused an increase in cases.
“We’re not saying it’s all over because we can see new variants, and we can see increases in infection again, but it looks like we’re in a much more stable situation,” he said.
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What are the symptoms of monkeypox? (2/2)
An itchy, sometimes painful rash slowly appears one or three days after the disease, starting with the face, palms, and soles of the feet.
What begins as a seemingly harmless red rash, which looks like chickenpox, evolves into blisters of anger that can last for several days.
The inside of the mouth, genitals and lining of the eyes can also be affected by the unpleasant rash.
If the rash spreads to the eyes it can cause blindness.
While some patients may have only a few injuries, others will have thousands, says the WHO.
Symptoms usually last 14 to 21 days, with severe cases related to age, the extent of exposure to the virus, the patient’s health, and the severity of complications.
Doctors and the public have been warned to be on the lookout for unexplained rashes.
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What are the symptoms of monkeypox? (1/2)
Monkeypox causes symptoms five to 21 days after exposure.
Symptoms of monkeypox start in a similar way to the flu. But then a rash erupts that starts in the face.
Initial symptoms include:
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Patients with monkeypox could be infectious weeks after recovery
Scientists fear severe monkeypox patients can be infectious for up to ten weeks.
An investigation of previous patients who had the disease found that a man tested positive more than 70 days after showing symptoms for the first time.
It comes when cases of the virus reach 71 in the UK and health officials have urged people to be alert to symptoms.
Signs of the disease in the early stages include fever, headache, chills, back and muscle aches.
Patients become infected until the scabs fall off, according to the UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA), and the scabs themselves may contain viral material.
However, the latest study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggests that people can be infectious long after their rash has resolved.
The author of the study, Dr Hugh Adler of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “Stay positive for throat and blood for the duration of the disease and maybe even longer after the rash. is resolved.
“We don’t know that this means these patients are more infectious or infectious for longer, but it informs us of the biology of the disease.”
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So how dangerous is the monkey’s smallpox?
Smallpox is very rare, so unless you’ve been to West or Central Africa or been in contact with someone who has it, there’s little reason to worry.
The disease is transmitted by contact with the blood, body fluids, blemishes, blisters or scabs of an infected individual.
Animals can also become infected because the disease originated from them, that is, if an infected animal bites you, you can also catch smallpox from the monkey.
It is possible to get infected by touching clothes or sheets that someone has used with Monkeypox.
This means that the risk of contracting the disease is low, with around 20 cases currently confirmed in the UK.
If you catch monkeypox, it is very unlikely that you will die from it.
Read the full article here.
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Mexico confirms the first case of smallpox
Mexico reported the first confirmed case of smallpox in the country on Saturday, according to Undersecretary of Health Hugo López-Gatell.
The patient was a 50-year-old permanent resident of New York who is being treated in Mexico City, Lopez-Gatell said on Twitter.
“He was probably infected in the Netherlands,” Lopez-Gatell wrote, adding that the patient was isolated and in a stable condition.
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Explanation: What is public health advice?
The NHS suggests that it is rare for someone in the UK who has not been in contact with an infected person or …