Health Alerts

More monkeypox cases have been confirmed over the past week - none had a history of travel to an endemic country and no link was found to the travel-related case announced on May 7. The first two cases lived in the same London household, while the four most recent cases (three in London and one linked case in NE England) ‘self-identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM)’; common contacts have been found in two of the four. Urgent investigations continue, however a quote from the UKHSA’s Chief Medical Advisor in the May 16 update includes, “…evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox virus in the community, spread by close contact. We are particularly urging men who are gay and bisexual to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service without delay.’ The agency also advised that the infections were with the West African clade of the virus, a milder form than the Central African clade. Read more