A school has sent students home after a confirmed monkeypox case led to fears of an outbreak before the summer holidays.
Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School in Surbiton, South West London, took advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to ask some pupils to leave the premises while contact tracing was underway.
The school, for children aged 3 to 11, remains open but parents have been told to contact NHS 111 if they notice any unusual blisters or rashes on their kid's body, reports MyLondon.
A UKHSA spokesperson said: “We’re working with Kingston Council to provide public health advice to Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School following a confirmed case of monkeypox in the school community.
“When cases of monkeypox are identified we rapidly investigate and carry out detailed contact tracing to assess who may have come into contact with them and what their contact was.
“Following our risk assessment, the appropriate health information and advice is provided to the contacts so that they know symptoms to look out for and what action to take e.g. vaccination.
“Any parents concerned about unusual rashes or blisters on any part of their child’s body should contact NHS 111, whilst adults can contact NHS111 or their local sexual health service. Both adults and children should avoid contact with others until they receive advice.”
The health agency added that it was an ever-evolving situation and advice is under constant review.
It follows the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealing last month that two children in the UK have been infected with monkeypox.
The agency said it was investigating reports of infected children in Britain, as well as following up reports in Spain and France.
None of the cases in children had been severe, the health authority said at the time.
Between May 6 and July 11 this year, there have been 1,735 confirmed monkeypox cases in the UK, and 1,229 of these were Londoners, according to UKHSA figures.
This compares with only seven cases recorded in the UK between 2018 and 2021.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said he is "deeply concerned" about the spread, and has written to the recently appointed Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, urging him to act.
This follows calls by health charities including the National Aids Trust and the Terrence Higgins Trust for the NHS and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to combat the outbreak as soon as possible.
On Thursday evening, Mr Khan said: "Today, I have written to the Health Secretary over the growing number of monkeypox cases in London and the UK.
"London is currently seeing the highest rate of infection and I'm deeply concerned that reported monkeypox cases have doubled in less than a week.
"If we have learned anything from the Covid-19 pandemic, it's that early action and coordination is vital to get ahead of the curve. The Government must rapidly ensure that there's a coordinated and resourced approach to tackle the threat faced by monkeypox now.
"I have let the Secretary of State know that City Hall will do everything it can to ensure Londoners have the information and support they need."
Most people affected by the virus during this year's outbreak have been men, at 99.4%, according to the UKHSA.
For confirmed cases where gender information was available, 1,633 were men and only 10 women.
Sexual health charities have warned that the increased burden to their services caused by monkeypox also risks jeopardising the Government's target of ending new HIV cases in the UK by 2030.
Monkeypox is related to smallpox and cases are usually found in West and Central Africa, with the virus not often spreading elsewhere.
The disease, which was first discovered in monkeys, is usually mild but can cause severe illness in some cases.
Most patients experience a 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.
The Mirror has reached out to Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School for comment.
