Advertisement

Monkeypox outbreak ‘shows signs of slowing’ in Britain, health officials say

Click to play video: 'Canada’s top doctor explains why monkeypox hasn’t been declared emergency'
Canada’s top doctor explains why monkeypox hasn’t been declared emergency
Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam explained Friday why, unlike the U.S., the country has not declared monkeypox an emergency, saying it had mechanisms already in place to tackle the outbreak. She said unlike the U.S., there's a different approach in terms of accessing authorities and funding in Canada and provinces are able to declare crises or emergencies at their own levels – Aug 12, 2022

British health officials say the monkeypox outbreak across the country “shows signs of slowing” but that it’s still too soon to know if the decline will be maintained.

In a statement on Monday, the Health Security Agency said authorities are reporting about 29 new monkeypox infections every day, compared to about 52 cases a day during the last week in June.

In July, officials estimated the outbreak was doubling in size about every two weeks. To date, the U.K. has recorded more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox, with more than 70 per cent of cases in London.

The agency also said more than 27,000 people were immunized with a vaccine designed against smallpox, a related disease.

Story continues below advertisement

“These thousands of vaccines, administered by the (National Health Service)to those at highest risk of exposure, should have a significant impact on the transmission of the virus,” the agency said. It said the vast majority of cases were in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men and that vaccines were being prioritized for them and for their closest contacts and health workers.

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Last month, Britain downgraded its assessment of the monkeypox outbreak after seeing no signs of sustained monkeypox transmission beyond the sexual networks of men who have sex with men; 99% of infections in the U.K. are in men.

Click to play video: 'About 50% of monkeypox vaccine supply used, Canada passes 1,000 cases: Tam'
About 50% of monkeypox vaccine supply used, Canada passes 1,000 cases: Tam

British authorities said they bought 150,000 doses of vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic, the world’s only supplier. The first 50,000 doses have already been rolled out or will be shared soon with clinics across the country and the next 100,000 vaccines are expected to be delivered in September.

Story continues below advertisement

Monkeypox spreads when people have close, physical contact with an infected person’s lesions, their clothing or bedsheets. Most people recover without needing treatment, but the lesions can be extremely painful and more severe cases can result in complications including brain inflammation and death.

Globally, there have been more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox reported in nearly 90 countries. Last month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a global emergency and American officials have classified their epidemic as a national emergency.

Outside of Africa, 98% of cases are in men who have sex with men. With only a limited global supply of vaccines, authorities are racing to stop monkeypox before it becomes entrenched as a new disease.

Sponsored content

AdChoices