The UK’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty joined government ministers to assess the UK’s readiness for any potential outbreak of a new, more deadly variant of the monkeypox virus.
Whitty, who played a key role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, joined ministers to discuss the UK’s preparedness to respond to mpox – after the World Health Organization declared it to be a global health emergency and urged a vaccination campaign
The deadly new clade 1b variant, which was first spotted in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been detected in neighbouring African countries, and has also been recorded in Sweden and Pakistan. No cases have yet been found in the UK.
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Sky News reports: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced last Wednesday that an outbreak of the strain was now a “public health emergency of international concern”.
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Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, met with ministers from the Department for Health, Foreign Office and the UK’s chief medical officer Mr Whitty on Monday.
They met to “ensure sufficient plans are in place to deal with any potential cases” Downing Street said.
While the strain has not been detected in the UK so far, Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert, told Sky News it was “very likely” someone in the UK already had it.
He said it would likely take a few weeks before this could be confirmed, when people develop symptoms and visit a doctor.
The disease causes blisters on the face and elsewhere, and mainly spreads when fluids from these lesions are passed on during sexual contact.
But it can also be spread through other types of skin-to-skin contact, as well as an infected person coughing or sneezing while close to you, and can even be spread by touching clothing, bedding, or towels used by someone with mpox.
Vaccinations for mpox – previously known as monkeypox – are currently available in the UK in London and Manchester, with two groups eligible for the jab according to the NHS.
The first is men who are gay, bisexual, or have sex with other men, and who have multiple partners, participate in group sex, or attend sex-on-premises venues.
The second is staff who work at sex-on-premises venues.
