Men who have sex with men and have a “high risk” of contracting smallpox will be offered a vaccine to protect themselves from infection, health officials said today.
Nearly 800 cases of the virus have been reported in the UK, which is usually only detected in Africa. Almost all infections so far have been detected in men who have sex with other men in the community.
In an attempt to curb the number of cases, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed today that some gay and bisexual men will be offered the Imvanex vaccine, which is 85% effective in controlling outbreak.
According to the plans, which come from the same experts who advised on the deployment of the Covid vaccine, doctors will offer the jab to men who have multiple partners, participate in group sex or attend “sex on the premises” sites. “.
Until now, jab has only been offered to confirmed cases and their close contacts under a strategy called ring vaccination, which has been shown to work in other outbreaks.
Experts told MailOnline a fortnight ago that the next sensible step if infections continued to spiral would be to expand the vaccination program in a deployment aimed at more men who have sex with men, anyone visiting a sexual and personal health clinic. of the NHS.
It comes when Covid’s tired British were warned today that the monkeypox outbreak could be increased 10fold by experts behind shady patterns used to justify blocking restrictions. The model suggested, however, that any increase in cases between groups other than gay and bisexual men was “unlikely.”
Meanwhile, British health officials today reported another 219 infections, the highest daily toll, bringing the UK’s total to 793. London is the country’s virus attack point.
Dozens of countries, including the United States, Spain and Germany, have been affected by the outbreak, the largest ever detected outside Africa to date. Almost all infections so far have been detected in men who have sex with other men in the community.
In an attempt to curb the number of cases, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed today that some gay and bisexual men will be offered the Imvanex vaccine, which is 85% effective in controlling outbreak. According to the plans, which come from the same experts who advised on the deployment of the Covid vaccine, doctors will offer the jab to men who have multiple partners, participate in group sex or attend “sex on the premises” sites. “. Until now, jab has only been offered to confirmed cases and their close contacts under a strategy called ring vaccination, which has been shown to work in other outbreaks.
Chronology of the smallpox of the monkey
1958: Smallpox of the monkey was first discovered when an outbreak of a smallpox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research.
1970: The first human case was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, and the infection has since been reported in several Central and West African countries.
2003: An outbreak of Monkeypox occurs in the United States after rodents were imported from Africa. Cases have been reported in both humans and prairie dogs. All human infections followed contact with an infected pet and all patients recovered.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2018: Monkeypox first appeared in the UK in a Nigerian naval officer who was visiting Cornwall to train. They were treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2018: A second case of monkeypox in the UK in Blackpool is confirmed. There is no link to the first case in Cornwall. Instead, the patient is believed to have detected the infection while traveling to Nigeria. They were treated at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018: A third person is diagnosed with monkeypox. The individual worked at Victoria Hospital in Blackpool and treated the second case of Monkeypox. They were treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
DECEMBER 3, 2019: A patient was diagnosed with smallpox in England, the fourth case in history.
MAY 25, 2021: Two cases of smallpox in North Wales were identified. Both patients had travel links to Nigeria.
A third person living with one of the cases was diagnosed and admitted to hospital, bringing the total to seven.
MAY 7, 2022: A person was diagnosed with Monkeypox in England after a recent trip to Nigeria. The person received care from the infectious disease expert unit of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. Experts have suggested that the virus was spreading in the UK for months before the case was detected.
MAY 14, 2022: Two more cases were confirmed in London. The infected couple lived in the same home, but had not been in contact with the case announced a week earlier.
One of these people received care from the infectious disease expert unit at St Mary’s Hospital in London. The other was isolated at home and did not need hospital treatment.
MAY 16, 2022: Four more cases were announced, bringing the total for the UK to seven. Three of these cases are in London, while one of his contacts is infected in the North East of England.
The UKHSA first confirms that the series of cases, described as “unusual” and “surprising”, are mostly found among gay and bisexual men and advises them to be on the lookout for new eruptions.
MAY 19, 2022: Two more cases were revealed, with no travel links or connections to other cases. The cases were based in the south-east and London. Fears began to grow that infections would go undetected.
MAY 20, 2022: Eleven more cases announced, meaning monkeypox outbreak in Britain has doubled to 20. Ministers discuss public health campaign to warn men gay that the disease may be more common for them.
MAY 23-26, 2022: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland record first cases of monkeypox.
MAY 29, 2022: The World Health Organization (WHO) says the risk of smallpox in monkeys is “moderate,” citing concerns about the virus infecting children and immunosuppressed people if it spreads further. .
JUNE 7, 2022: UKHSA declares monkeypox a notifiable disease. It means that all doctors should alert local health authorities about suspicious cases. Tropical virus now has the same legal status as plague, rabies, and measles.
The UKHSA today released a strategy stating that some gay and bisexual men at “high risk” of exposure to monkeypox should be offered a vaccine to control the outbreak.
Anyone can spread the virus, which is transmitted through close contact with an infected person. But most cases of the ongoing rise are among the “sexual networks” of men who have sex with men.
Monkeypox, which will be renamed because of claims that it is discriminatory against Africa, is not usually a sexually transmitted infection.
But it is believed to be the main mode of transmission of the ongoing outbreak.
The virus, first discovered in laboratory monkeys in the 1950s, can also be transmitted by touching clothing, bedding, or towels worn by an infected person.
According to the plans, endorsed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), they will also be eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a pill that protects against HIV.
This includes people who do not always use condoms during sex and are likely to continue to use them, as well as sex workers or their clients who report sex without a condom.
NHS England must set out details on how eligible people can be vaccinated. People are advised not to show up for the vaccine until they are contacted.
In addition to gay and bisexual men, the list of NHS staff eligible for the jab is also expanding.
Healthcare workers treating monkeypox patients in wards specializing in high-impact infectious diseases (HICD) are already offered jab. But now the jab will also be offered to staff at other hospitals designed to treat monkeypox patients, as well as lab workers testing for the virus.
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunization at the UKHSA, said: bisexuals and others who have sex with men.
“By expanding the supply of vaccines to those most at risk, we hope to break the chain of transmission and help contain the outbreak.
“While most cases are mild, some people can get serious illnesses, so it’s important that we use the vaccine available for targeted groups where the spread is ongoing. The NHS will soon provide details on how this will be delivered. , so do not show up for the vaccine yet “.
The UKHSA urges all Britons to be alert to new spots, ulcers or blisters on any part of their body, especially if they have had close contact with a new partner. People with symptoms are told to avoid close contact with other people and to call NHS 111 or your local sexual health center.
Alex Sparrowhawk, a health advocate for the Terrence Higgins Trust’s HIV charity, said: “This targeted vaccination program is a positive development, while data still shows that monkeypox is disproportionately affecting gay and bisexual men in the UK “.
Robbie de Santos, director of communications and external affairs for the LGBT charity Stonewall, said he welcomed the vaccine offered to those most at risk for the virus.
He said, “It’s important that gay and bisexual men get the vaccine when it’s offered to protect themselves and others. We help control the outbreak so we can all have a happy, safe season of pride.”
It comes when the UKHSA confirmed today that the British outbreak has grown by 38 per cent from Friday to 793.
Of the 766 cases with confirmed addresses, 498 are in London, 37 in the south-east and 26 in the north-west. The rest of the regions have reported 20 cases or less.
Public Health Scotland said on Sunday that all cases appeared to be “generally mild and not life-threatening”, with no deaths reported in the UK so far.
Monkeypox cases are 37 years old, on average, health officials said.
Meanwhile, scientists behind the monkeypox modeling he warned of another 10,000 cases include Professor John …