While the number of positive cases of monkeypox has increased in recent days, the WHO estimates that the trend is likely to continue this summer.
Cases of monkeypox could be accelerating in Europe, a regional World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Friday, while at least eight European countries have identified patients, including 20 in the United Kingdom.
“As we enter the summer season (…) with gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission is accelerating,” said WHO Director for Europe Hans Kluge.
Cases of this virus, endemic to West Africa, have been recorded since the beginning of May in several western countries, notably the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or even Portugal, France or Sweden. The level of transmission was “atypical,” Hans Kluge said, noting that “save for one recent case, all have not traveled to areas where monkeypox is endemic.”
An increase that should continue
Most cases were found in men who had sex with men, Hans Kluge also pointed out that the WHO had already indicated that they wanted to shed light on the transmission of the virus within the homosexual community. On Friday, the UK announced it had registered 11 new cases of the virus, bringing the number of people infected in the country to 20. France, Belgium and Germany have also identified their first cases.
According to British Health Security Agency (UKHSA) medical officer Susan Hopkins, “this increase is expected to continue in the coming days”. She urged gay and homosexual people to pay attention to even the smallest symptom.
The infection will heal on its own
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. Rashes can appear, often on the face, and spread to other parts of the body including the genitals before going through various stages, crusting and falling off.
There is no cure for monkeypox, which is contracted through contact with an infected person or their bodily fluids, including saliva. This viral infection will heal on its own. The UKHSA says the virus is “not easily transmitted between people” and the risk to people in the UK is “low”.
Sajid Javid, Britain’s Health Secretary, clarified on Friday that “most cases (in the UK) are mild”. And “I can confirm that we have made available more doses of effective monkeypox vaccines,” he added.