At least three people in the South West have been vaccinated against monkeypox after close contact, according to health chiefs. Two people in Exeter and one person in Bristol were given a smallpox vaccine after being potentially exposed to monkeypox.
No confirmed cases have been found yet in the South West, and the three people vaccinated were potentially exposed elsewhere. But health bosses in the region are gearing up for an increase in cases and making plans for community testing, and potential hospital admissions.
Stuart Walker, medical director of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston, said: “There have been a number of cases of people who have been potentially exposed to monkeypox elsewhere, and then have come back to the South West.
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“We have administered vaccinations with a smallpox vaccine in the South West to at least three individuals, two in Exeter and one in Bristol. There are a number of really difficult logistic service delivery issues that we’re working through right now about how we respond to monkeypox cases.”
Speaking at a meeting of the hospitals’ trust board, on Friday, May 27, Prof Walker said health bosses were working through how to provide testing, vaccinations and prepare for potential hospital admissions if patients become seriously ill. He said official advice on the emerging disease is changing “almost daily”.
Testing has been proposed to take place mainly in sexual health clinics, because of the link with cases and men who have sex with men, he said. But some cases have been found in children, and adults without genital rash, so testing would need to be expanded to other sites, too.
Smallpox vaccinations are held in two centres in the South West, in Exeter and Bristol. At the moment people in the region who need to be vaccinated will have to go to one of those centres, which could mean a long journey for some.
Although there are no confirmed cases yet in the South West, any patients in future would most likely be treated in isolation at home. Serious cases requiring admission could be sent to specialist hospitals in London or Newcastle, unless those hospitals reach capacity when cases would need to be treated in local hospitals.
Prof Walker said: “If we were to have individuals presenting with confirmed monkeypox, or a very probable case, there is a system in place for mostly managing patients in isolation at home. There hasn’t been an individual yet in the UK who has had a very serious illness with monkeypox, but if admission were required that would currently be to Royal Free [Hospital in London] or Newcastle.
“If there were a large number of cases that went over the capacity of those hospitals, we could end up with local admissions, but that’s probably less likely. It’s a live situation where advice coming out centrally is changing almost on a daily basis. We’re trying to interpret that and deliver against that. It’s a work in progress, but it’s not a system yet finalised.”
Monkeypox symptoms include new rashes or lesions on any part of the body. Anybody who develops a rash or lesion should contact a sexual health clinic immediately, according to the UK Health Security Agency, and limit their contact with others. People should phone ahead before going to a clinic. The agency has bought more than 20,000 doses of a smallpox vaccine called Imvanex, to administer to close contacts of confirmed monkeypox cases.
