A new strain of Monkeypox was discovered in the UK after the individual’s recent travel to West Africa.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared that preliminary genomic sequencing shows that the new case does not mean a current strain outbreak in the UK.
The individual discovered with the new strain known as Monkeypox has been admitted to the High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) unit in Royal Liverpool.
Dr Sophia Maki, Incident Director at UKHSA, said, “We are working to contact the people who have had close contact with the man suffering from Monkeypox before confirmation of their infection, to assess them as necessary and provide advice”.
In addition, Dr Sophia Maki said that “UKHSA and the NHS [National Health Service] had established and strong infection control procedures to tackle the cases of diseases or infections which are imported from foreign countries, and these will be strictly followed, and the risk to the general public is shallow.
“We remind people who are 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,” she said.
While identifying the close contacts of the individual suffering from Monkeypox is underway, no further linked cases have been identified.
The ACDP advice states that importations of Monkeypox directly from West Africa and cases caused by Clade I of the virus should still be classified as HCIDs as their characteristics cannot be predicted.
Virus symptoms by an international collaboration of clinicians across 16 countries have been identified. Some signs are considered severe enough for patients to be admitted to the hospital. The symbols include soreness in the mouth and anus.
According to expert reports, gay and bisexual men are not equally affected by the spread of the disease, with sexual closeness the most likely route of transmission. Monkeypox can also be spread via any close contact.
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