The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on Wednesday that monkeypox appears to be spreading from person to person in England.
The virus, which is endemic throughout the west and central Africa, is thought to transmit by intimate contact. Until early May, incidences outside of Africa were uncommon and were usually tied to travel to the continent.
“This is the first time the virus has been spread from person to person in England where no travel linkages to an endemic nation have been found,” according to the agency.
The majority of cases in the UK – 132 – are in London, according to the UKHSA, while 111 cases are known to be gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Women are only involved in two cases.
34 confirmed cases, or around 18% of the 190 cases of the disease confirmed by the United Kingdom as of May 31, indicated recent overseas travel to a variety of different locations in Europe within 21 days of symptom onset.
So far, the UKHSA has discovered connections between gay bars, saunas, and the usage of dating apps in the United Kingdom and internationally.
“Investigations are ongoing, but no single factor or exposure that links the patients has been established at this time,” the agency cautioned.
Monkeypox can afflict anyone, but according to Kevin Fenton, London’s regional director for public health, many of the most recent illnesses are from the GBMSM community, many of whom live in or have ties to London.
“The potential of stigma and uncertainty is high, as it is with any new illness outbreak,” he said.
To interact with sexual health services and the GBMSM community, the UKHSA is collaborating with organizations such as the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV and the dating app Grindr. In the coming weeks, it is also urging the LGBT Consortium and Pride event organizers to assist with messages.
Monkeypox normally causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions that heal on their own in a few weeks, but it can kill a tiny percentage of those who are infected.
Imvanex, a vaccine developed by Bavarian Nordic, is being offered to contacts of confirmed or suspected cases in the United Kingdom.
Monkeypox cases are continuing to climb outside of Africa, primarily in Europe, and experts are trying to figure out why.
The World Health Organization announced on Wednesday that it had received reports of over 550 confirmed cases of the virus from 30 countries outside of Africa.
