UK monkeypox outbreak not yet under control, say experts

Experts have warned that the monkeypox outbreak in the UK is not under control and that vaccines may need to be offered to men who have sex with men.

An unprecedented outbreak in recent weeks has resulted in cases appearing in a number of countries, including Canada and Australia. The World Health Organization will hold a meeting next week to decide if the outbreak is a public health emergency.

A rise of 104 cases was reported in England last Monday, as of 12 June. Further action may need to be taken to stop the rise.

There is no evidence that the current epidemic is under control, according to Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine.

The majority of cases have been found among men who are gay or bisexual or have sex with men.

Current guidelines advise that jabs should ideally be given to close contacts of cases within four days of exposure to monkeypox, although in some cases it can be given to individuals up to fourteen days.

If we don't see this coming under control soon, then we're going to offer vaccine to all men who have sex with men, and possibly female sex workers.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has a professor named Jimmy. The number of new cases suggests that we are not yet getting the monkeypox epidemic under control, while it could take a week or two before the number of new cases falls once transmission is stopped, he said.

The outbreak is very difficult to control. There seem to have been some superspreading events that have enabled infections to spread rapidly into many different countries, and there are chains of transmission that suggest that there might have been some cases without any obvious signs of infections.

There were a lot of factors at play. He said that a public education and a ring vaccine strategy approach may not be enough for a disease that may have significant stigma for some.

Hunter said the situation was sensitive and complicated for bisexual men who have not come out to their female partners.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, individuals who have been tested are usually informed of their result within 24 hours, with contacts identified and followed up with if appropriate.

The agency noted that most cases reported having sexual contact with new or casual partners, sometimes in the context of cruising grounds or during chemsex, where contact details were not available for tracing.

Public health teams in the UK and internationally have done an excellent job, both with contact tracing and reporting as well as accurate and sensitive public health messaging, according to a senior research fellow in global health.

Head said there was a small signal in UK data that the outbreak was slowing down, while the lack of infections within the wider community showed transmission relied on very close contact.

He said that the outbreak will be brought to an end in the coming weeks or months.

There is a positive view of the rising case numbers, according to Dr Hugh Adler. He thinks it's a reflection of the public health messaging getting out.

If they didn't have close or intimate contact, the vaccine wasn't appropriate. Individuals can be monitored for symptoms.

He said that the vaccine wouldn't be right for them because of the limited supplies.