Monkeypox in humans "poses unique challenges" and there is an "urgent need" for studies of treatments for it, according to research published in medical journal the Lancet.
Three Newcastle Hospitals medics - Dr Matthias Schmid, Dr Ewan Hunter and Dr Christopher Duncan were co-authors on the research - which tracked how seven cases of monkeypox seen in the UK in the years between 2018 and 2021 progressed and were treated. The study looked at which drugs were given to those patients and analysed how their illness had progressed.
Published in late May, the research was put together with colleagues from around the country who were all part of the High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) network, from other top hospitals like the Royal Free in London. The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine were also involved.
Read more: Monkeypox cases triple around the world but spread is not 'endemic', health experts say
The study - highly relevant this spring and summer with hundreds of human monkeypox cases having been reported. According to the UK Health Security Agency, as of June 9 there had been 366 around the UK. The UKHSA warns: "Anyone can get monkeypox, particularly if you have had close contact, including sexual contact, with an individual with symptoms. Currently most cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men."
The published research highlights how characteristics of the disease as observed in the seven pre-2022 patients made it challenging to treat and contain. The paper says: "Human monkeypox poses unique challenges, even to well resourced health-care systems with HCID networks.
"Prolonged upper respiratory tract viral DNA shedding after skin lesion resolution challenged current infection prevention and control guidance. There is an urgent need for prospective studies of antivirals for this disease."
And the top doctors and scientists also write: "Monkeypox is an emerging global health threat, which is capable of cross-border spread and onward transmission." They said that although optimum infection control measures and treatments had not at the time been established, studies of a drug called tecovirimat were "warranted".
In May, the infectious diseases team at Newcastle's RVI was praised for the speed at which it had adapted and switched from treating Covid-19 cases to dealing with the emerging monkeypox outbreak.
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