Health

Second monkeypox strain found in the UK

Case with new strain is linked with travel to west Africa, public health officials have said.

A doctor checks on a patient with sores caused by a monkeypox infection while another takes a picture, in the isolation area for monkeypox patients at the Arzobispo Loayza hospital, in Lima. Photograph: Ernesto Benavides /AFP via Getty Images

Nicola Davis
Fri Sep 2 2022 - 19:45

A second monkeypox strain has been identified in the UK, linked with travel to west Africa, public health officials have said.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), an individual who had recently travelled to west Africa has been admitted to the high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) unit at the Royal Liverpool University hospital in Merseyside with the strain.

Contact tracing is being conducted to establish if there are any further linked cases. Monkeypox is endemic in animals in parts of west Africa and has caused outbreaks in humans there.

“Preliminary genomic sequencing conducted by UKHSA indicates that this case does not have the current outbreak strain circulating in the UK,” the agency said.

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It has not yet been revealed whether the case involves a new strain of monkeypox, or one that has previously been identified, albeit outside the current outbreak.

“UKHSA and the NHS have well-established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed. The risk to the general public is very low,” said Dr Sophia Maki, incident director at the UKHSA.

“We remind everyone who is planning to travel to west and central Africa to be alert for the symptoms of monkeypox and to call 111 if you have symptoms on your return.”

The case comes as health authorities in Ireland were notified of 144 cases in total, the latest figures by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre released on Wednesday show. The majority of cases in most countries have been in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

While a smallpox vaccine is available that can help to prevent monkeypox, shortages of the jab have led to public health officials in the the State giving smaller doses of the vaccine to those at risk of exposure.

Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue, but some may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. Most people recover within a few weeks. The incubation period of monkeypox is usually six to 13 days, but can range from five to 21 days. - Guardian Service

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