More than an additional 100,000 vaccine doses have been procured by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to deal with the ongoing Monkeypox outbreak.
Monkeypox is a rare infection which is mainly spread by wild animals in parts of west or central Africa. The risk of catching it in the UK tends to be low, however, as of Monday, June 18, the total number of cases reported by the (UKHSA) has risen to 2,137 - 2,050 of which are in England.
The additional doses of the smallpox vaccine will enable more people to be vaccinated to prevent infection and limit transmission of the virus. The doses will arrive from the manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic, this month, with the remainder expected by September. The UK previously procured nearly 30,000 doses, enabling the NHS to begin the rollout of the vaccine programme to individuals who are most likely to acquire the virus.
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The announcement by UKHSA comes after Liverpool HIV support charity, Sahir House, told the ECHO the North West region has very few available and more needed to be done to stop Monkeypox from becoming endemic. Ant Hopkinson, Sahir House’s CEO, previously said : “In general, it's difficult to keep up with a new virus and ramp up additional testing, vaccination and wrap-around support rapidly.
"To turn the tide against the outbreak we do need more funding and fast. I would hope to see much of this quickly filter its way down to local charities and agencies delivering front-line prevention and support services. Currently, our region has very few vaccines available - nowhere near enough to cover those deemed eligible and a priority under the UK Health Security Agency’s vaccination strategy.
"Should this tip over into a full-blown public health crisis, we need well-resourced hyper-local plans to support people who already face multiple barriers to engaging with healthcare provisions - such as LGBTQ people who continue to experience major disparities in sexual health care and worse health outcomes than the UK population overall.”
Early symptoms of Monkeypox include high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering and exhaustion, with a rash usually appearing up to five days after the first symptoms. Monkeypox rarely passes between people but can be passed on via close person-to-person contact or contact with items used by a person who has the virus, such as clothes, bedding or utensils.
It can be treated with the smallpox vaccine along with antiviral drugs. The British Association of Sexual Health & HIV estimates it will cost £62.63 to deliver two vaccine doses, with a further estimation of 125,000 people being eligible to receive the dosages 28 days apart.
UKHSA guidance for close contacts of a confirmed monkeypox case has also been updated, meaning close contacts won’t need to isolate at home if they don’t have symptoms. The change is being implemented in response to the latest data showing that a relatively small number of close contacts have gone on to develop monkeypox and a lack of evidence of transmission outside of close intimate or sexual contact.
For category 2 and category 3 close contacts, the UKSHA now recommend people:
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contact NHS 111 or a sexual health clinic if they develop a fever or any of the other symptoms described below
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avoid skin-to-skin contact with others, such as hugging and kissing
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refrain from sexual or intimate contact
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avoid international travel if possible. Travel insurance may also not be valid for people advised not to travel.
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let health or dental facility staff know they’re a close contact before attending for health or dental care.
For category 3 close contacts they also recommend:
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avoid close contact with children aged under five years, pregnant women and those who have an impaired immune system.
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If they work with children aged under five years, pregnant women or those who have an impaired immune system, UKHSA or their employer might inform them if they need to take time off. This decision will be based on a personalised clinical assessment.
Dr Merav Kliner, deputy incident director at UKHSA, added: “We have now passed over 2,000 confirmed cases of Monkeypox in the UK, and the outbreak continues to grow. Based on the growing evidence of how the monkeypox virus is being passed on in this outbreak, close contacts will no longer have to isolate for 21 days unless they develop symptoms.
“While our advice on isolation is changing, monkeypox is still a serious public health challenge, and we urge contacts to take a break from any activities or events involving skin-to-skin contact, including sex, hugging and kissing to reduce the risk of the virus being passed on unknowingly. Stay alert to symptoms and call a sexual health clinic if you become unwell.
“Thank you to all contacts who have isolated already in response to this outbreak. We understand that isolation can be difficult but this was a necessary precaution whilst our knowledge of the outbreak was limited.”
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