Local release of the modified smallpox plunger has been halted until more stock arrives — but that may not be for another month. Only people with existing appointments will still be able to get a dose, local Labor MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said. Brighton only had 69 cases of monkeypox, but this is still more than any area outside London, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak. It comes after a weekend of Pride celebrations from August 5 to 7, which is believed to have attracted 250,000 people. National stocks of monkeypox are running out with just 5,000 doses in the UK stockpile — enough to vaccinate 2,500 people with two shots. UK health chiefs have 100,000 more on order, but supply problems mean they won’t run out until sometime in September. Monkey pox shots have run out in Brighton less than a week after the gay capital’s Pride celebrations (pictured)
Britain to ‘run out’ of smallpox vaccines in ’10 to 20 days’
The UK will run out of monkeypox vaccines within days – despite having one of the biggest outbreaks in the world. An internal NHS England letter on Tuesday revealed there are just 8,300 doses of the two-dose vaccine, enough to vaccinate just over 4,000 people. Reports suggest the number may now be as low as 5,000. There are fears that people at the highest risk of contracting or becoming ill with the disease will miss out. Supply problems have left the country running low and 100,000 extra doses are not due until next month. Britain has the fourth highest number of cases in the world, with 2,914 confirmed so far, behind only the US, Germany and Spain. The NHS letter, seen by the Financial Times, called on health bosses to “urgently” draw up a plan to deal with the shortage which could last three to four weeks. He stressed “the urgent need to reach those most at risk”, adding: “Clearly this is all very difficult and very sensitive and not a position any of us want to be in.” London could run out of monkeypox vaccines in ten days despite being the worst-hit area in the country, according to Labor MP Florence Eshalomi. The government ordered 150,000 piercings but has received only 50,000 so far, with another 100,000 not due to arrive until September due to supply problems. There are fears that people at the highest risk of contracting or becoming ill with the disease will miss out. Britain has the fourth highest number of cases in the world, with 2,914 confirmed so far, behind only the US, Germany and Spain. Most cases involved gay or bisexual men, although the disease can be transmitted to anyone. The remaining piercings are expected to be delivered to sexual health services in greatest need in the coming days, although Brighton will not receive piercings until September. Mr Russell-Moyle told the BBC: “I’ve already spoken to people in the area who feel worried, scared and lost. “They feel that they are at risk and that their enjoyment of the summer is being jeopardized by poor organization by the government. “I understand that if you don’t get vaccinated in the next two weeks, then it will be too late and you will have to wait until September.” Brighton and Hove City Council warned people attending Pride to “be aware of the symptoms and check themselves before attending” last weekend. The first symptoms usually don’t appear for five days at the earliest, so infections detected at the festival are unlikely to have been counted yet. More than 25,000 people in England have been vaccinated so far, according to the NHS. Britain has ordered the smallpox vaccine Imvanex, which provides crossover protection against monkeypox. Officials currently give jabs to health care workers caring for monkeypox patients, gay and bisexual men “at the highest risk of exposure” and close contacts of confirmed cases. The first doses are given within 14 days of contact, followed by a second dose 28 days later. About 75 percent of cases are in London, where most of the vaccines have been targeted. However, charities have previously warned that the rollout should be extended to other cities that have large LGBT+ communities such as Brighton and Manchester. Ian Green, chief executive of sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “The very limited doses of vaccine we have left in the country must now be prioritized for those most at risk in the places with the highest reported cases. “This means that sexual health services in places such as Brighton, Manchester and Essex will be provided alongside London.
How do you catch smallpox and what are the symptoms? EVERYTHING you need to know about the tropical virus
How do you catch monkey pox?
Until this global outbreak, monkeypox was usually spread by infected rodents — including rats, mice and even squirrels — in west and central Africa.
People can catch the disease – which is from the same family as smallpox – if they are bitten by infected animals, touch their blood, body fluids or scabies, or eat wild game or bush meat.
The orthopoxvirus, which causes monkeypox, can enter the body through broken skin — even if it’s not visible — and through the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Although it was primarily transmitted by wild animals, it was known that monkeypox could be transmitted between humans. However, health chiefs insist it was very rare until the current outbreak.
Human-to-human transmission can occur if someone touches clothing or bedding used by an infected person or through direct contact with the telltale scabs of the virus. The virus can also be spread through coughing and sneezing.
In the continuing rise in cases, experts believe the virus is passed through skin-to-skin contact during sex – although this exact mechanism has never been observed until now.
How deadly is it?
Monkey pox is usually mild, with most patients recovering within a few weeks without treatment.
However, the disease kills up to 10 percent of cases. But that high rate is thought to be partly due to a historic lack of testing that means one-tenth of known cases have died, not one-tenth of all infections.
However, with milder strains, the fatality rate is closer to one in 100 – similar to when Covid first struck.
The West African version of the virus, which is mild compared to the Central African strain, is behind the current spread. No deaths have been reported in the ongoing outbreak.
How is it tested?
Monkeypox can be difficult to diagnose as it is often confused with other infections such as chickenpox.
Monkeypox is confirmed by a clinical assessment by a health professional and testing at the UK’s specialist laboratory — the UKHSA’s Rare and Introduced Pathogens Laboratory.
The test involves taking samples from skin lesions, such as part of the scab, fluid from the lesions, or pieces of dry crusts.
What are the symptoms?
It can take up to three weeks for patients infected with monkeypox to develop any of its telltale symptoms.
Early signs of the virus include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion – meaning it could theoretically be mistaken for other common illnesses.
But its most unusual feature is a rash that often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, usually the arms and legs.
The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.
How long is someone contagious?
A person is contagious from the time their rash appears until all the scabs fall off and there is intact skin underneath.
The crusts may also contain infectious viral material.
The infectious period is believed to last three weeks, but it can vary between individuals.
What do I do if I have symptoms?
The UK Health Safety Agency is advising Britons to contact their sex clinic if they have a blistering rash and have been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case of monkeypox or have been in West or Central Africa in the past three weeks.
Britons are being asked to contact clinics before visiting and to avoid contact with others until they have been seen by a doctor.
Gay and bisexual men have been asked to be especially alert to symptoms, as most cases have been identified in men who have sex with men.
What else is monkey pox?
Monkeypox was first discovered when an outbreak of a smallpox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research in 1958.
The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and since then the infection has been reported in many countries in central and western Africa.
Only a small number of cases have been reported outside Africa, and they have been limited to people with travel connections to the continent.
The UK, US, Israel and Singapore are the only countries to have detected the virus before May 2022.
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that kills up to one in ten of those infected, but does not spread easily between humans. The tropical disease is endemic to parts of Africa and is known for its rare and unusual rashes, bumps and lesions (file photo)
Nurses and doctors are advised to remain ‘vigilant’ in patients who develop a new rash or scab (as above)
Is it related to chicken pox?
Despite causing a similar rash, chickenpox is not related to monkeypox.
The infection, which usually affects children, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
By comparison, monkeypox—like smallpox—is an orthopoxvirus. Because of this relationship, smallpox vaccines also provide protection against monkeypox.
Are young people more vulnerable?
Britons under 50 may be more susceptible to monkeypox, according to the World Health Organisation.
This is because children in the UK were routinely offered the smallpox jab, which protects against monkeypox, until 1971.
WHO also…
