Monkeypox is rare in children and parents “should not worry” about the increase in cases in the UK, according to experts.
The UK Health and Safety Agency confirmed today that 71 cases have been reported in the country.
But researchers who have been investigating the current outbreak, as well as previous cases of the disease, said it is so rare in children that any rash is more likely to be caused by chickenpox or foot-and-mouth disease. and mouth.
Dr David Porter, a pediatric infectious disease consultant at the Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As a parent with a child who could develop a rash, I don’t think parents should worry about this being smallpox at this stage., because we are seeing a very low number of cases.
“And in all the previous outbreaks that have occurred outside of Africa in recent years, we have seen a very rare number of cases in children, so it has been predominantly in adults anyway.
“And without any history of contact with someone who is known or strongly felt to have chickenpox, and then if you have a rash at this time of year when we’ve seen a lot of chickenpox rashes and other things in children, hands and feet, and mouth disease, then that’s what it’s likely to be. “
Parents of all children who have a rash and have no history of contact with someone who has had monkeypox should be calm and follow what they normally do.
Experts have also said the virus is “particularly nasty”, but we are unlikely to see anything on the scale of COVID.
Transmission occurs in homes and healthcare settings
Researchers have also revealed the results of a study that looked at seven cases of monkeypox in the UK between 2018 and 2021.
The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, identified that, although limited, transmission in the UK has occurred in domestic and healthcare settings.
He also observed patients’ responses to two different antiviral drugs developed by, and waiting to treat smallpox: brincidofovir and tecovirimat.
Read more: How do you catch smallpox? What do we know about monkeypox so far?
Tecovirimat can shorten the duration of monkeypox symptoms and reduce the time a patient is contagious.
The investigators explained that the drug would be given on a case-by-case basis and, in their study, was given to get a mother out of the hospital as soon as possible so she could return home with her daughter.
The first author of the paper, Hugh Adler of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “Although the size of the study was small, the data collected from the seven cases was rich, providing the team with new knowledge and suggesting the direction of the trip for future research. “
Use the Chrome browser to get a more accessible video player
14:32 Monkeypox: Your questions have been answered
“No argument” for vaccinating gay and bisexual men
In the UK, data suggest that a large proportion of cases have been identified in the gay, bisexual and male community who have sex with other men.
However, researchers say there is no clear argument for vaccinating this population.
Dr Jake Dunning, a consultant on infectious diseases and high-impact infectious diseases (HCIDs) at the Royal Free Hospital, said: with men.
“This is based on the fact that they currently represent a large part of the cases we are looking at and the challenge is that you need data to inform this type of decision.”
Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Monkeypox is most likely transmitted through close physical contact by touching clothing, bedding, or towels worn by someone with the eruption of monkeypox, or by touching blisters or crusts on monkeypox.
There is a lower risk of infection through coughing and sneezing, and as prolonged face-to-face contact would be required, this is not one of the major routes of transmission of monkeypox virus.