UK’s monkeypox outbreak dates back to 200 as experts probe dating apps and gay bars

ANOTHER 15 cases of monkeypox have been detected in the UK, health chiefs say.

This brings the total to 214 on June 2, the majority in London.

3

3

At least 550 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide since early May, most of them in the UK.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of cases observed so far could be the “tip of the iceberg”.

However, experts say the risk to the public remains “low”.

The UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA) says the virus has so far mainly been detected in one community.

Most cases are known to be gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Only two cases had occurred in women.

The UKHSA said today: “Anyone can get monkeypox.

“Currently, most cases have occurred in men who are gay or bisexual, or who have sex with men, so being aware of the symptoms is especially important if you belong to these groups.”

The main symptoms of monkeypox are a flu-like illness with fever, chills, and muscle aches, followed by a chickenpox-like rash.

The rash develops into painful blisters before the scab forms — and a person is contagious until their scabs fall off.

The UKHSA said people should contact a sexual health clinic if they have a blistered rash and have been in close contact with someone who may have monkeypox in the last three weeks.

Links to dating apps

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said cases may be more common among people in the gay community because they are more likely to turn to sexual health clinics if they have symptoms.

However, in a report published Wednesday night, the UKHSA said dating apps and bars, which are predominantly used by gay men, have been linking cases.

It says: “Investigations to date have identified links to gay bars, saunas and the use of dating apps in the UK and abroad.

“Investigations are ongoing, but no single factor or exposure linking the cases has been identified at this time.”

Researchers in a new study published on Thursday also found “links to on-premises sex, private sex parties and the use of geospatial dating apps both in the UK and abroad”.

The study, published in Eurosurveillance, looked at cases of monkeypox in the UK and divided patients into three groups.

One group consisted of cases among those who traveled from Africa, the second was household transmission and the third had no connection to travel or previously confirmed cases.

Of the 79 people in group three, all were men, and the majority (66) identified as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, meaning it’s a constant presence, accounting for about 9,000 cases a year.

But it has unusually spread to Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and other parts of the world.

Experts now say there is evidence of community transmission in the UK.

It may have been spreading “under the radar” for a while in non-endemic cases, the WHO said.

As health teams try to find more people with the virus through contact tracing, one expert said “eradicating it” could be difficult.

Professor John Edmunds, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the fact that so many infections are “popping up around the world” suggests there “is going to be a problem”.

“You don’t get rid of it overnight,” he told The Independent.

“It will take a few months of really solid work to track down and eradicate all infections and contacts. It will take a while.”

In most cases, monkeypox is a mild illness and will go away on its own. No deaths have been reported in the current outbreak.

3