This illustration shows test tubes labeled “Monkeypox virus positive and negative” on May 23, 2022.
Donat Ruvic | Reuters
UK health authorities have urged anyone who tested positive for the monkeypox virus to refrain from having sex until their symptoms have disappeared.
In a new guide published on Monday, the UK Health Security Agency also recommended that previously infected people continue to use condoms for a period of eight weeks after the virus has passed, as a precautionary measure.
The health agency said the risks to the general public remain low, but encouraged people to contact a healthcare professional if they detect unusual rashes or injuries.
The council comes after Britain registered an additional 71 cases of the virus over the weekend, bringing the UK total to 179 less than a month after its first case was on 7 May.
The United Kingdom now has the highest number of smallpox cases among non-endemic countries, followed by Spain with 120 and Portugal with 96.
As of Monday, there were 555 confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox in countries outside Africa, according to Our World in Data.
Increased risks of sexual transmission
Smallpox is a rare infectious disease that is typically found in Central and West African countries. Symptoms include rash, fever, headache, muscle aches, swelling, and back pain.
Although the virus is usually mild, it usually clears up on its own in two to four weeks. increasing risks of community transmission.
Most cases so far have spread through sex, with a particular concentration of cases occurring in gay and bisexual communities and men who have sex with men, according to the World Health Organization.
A section of skin tissue, collected from a skin lesion of a monkey, which had been infected with the monkeypox virus, is seen to increase by 50X on the fourth day of the development of the rash. in 1968.
CDC | Reuters
The public health agency said Monday it was not yet clear whether the recent outbreak could cause a global pandemic, but said there was currently a window of opportunity to curb the rise in cases.
“Collectively, the world has a chance to stop this outbreak. There is a window,” said Rosamund Lewis, WHO’s technical director for monkeypox, during a briefing.
The WHO also said it was currently considering whether the outbreak should be assessed as a “potential public health emergency of international concern”. That statement was made for the Covid-19 and Ebola outbreaks, and would allow for additional research and funding to contain the disease, he noted.
What to do if you catch smallpox
If you suspect that you have contracted smallpox, you should avoid physical contact with other people and seek medical advice immediately.
Early symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, swelling, and back pain. Rash and lesions usually appear on the face, hands, feet, eyes, mouth, or genitals within one to five days. These eruptions turn into raised bumps and then blisters, which can fill with white liquid before breaking and shattering.
Many of the symptoms of the virus can be easily confused with other diseases, such as chickenpox, herpes, or syphilis, so medical confirmation is important.
If you are diagnosed with monkeypox, the UK guide is that you will need to isolate yourself until the virus has passed. You can also assess the risk of close contact with someone with smallpox and ask them to isolate you for 21 days.
The disease is usually mild and most people recover in two to four weeks. Although medical advice currently varies from country to country, the UK National Health Service notes that you may need to stay in a specialist hospital to prevent the infection from spreading to others.