4 2GM Tuesday May 24 2022 | the times
News
were likely to be suitable hosts. The
centre said there needed to be close col-
laboration between human and veteri-
nary public health authorities “to man-
age exposed pets and prevent the dis-
ease from being transmitted to wildlife”.
It said that people with monkeypox
should be told to “avoid contact with
any mammal pets, and in particular pet
rodents”.
Dr David Heymann, professor of in-
fectious diseases at the London School
of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said:
“It’s very possible there was somebody
who got infected, developed lesions on
the genitals, hands or somewhere else,
and then spread it to others when there
was sexual or close physical contact.”
World Health Organisation experts
believe two events in the gay community
held recently in Belgium and Spain may
have helped the virus to spread. Healthofficials in Spain have said they are
investigating potential links between a
Gay Pride event in the Canary Islands
that was attended by 80,000 people and
cases at a sauna in Madrid.
Heymann said that widespread
transmission was unlikely, adding:
“This is not Covid. We need to slow it
down, but it does not spread in the air
and we have vaccines.”
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the
Wellcome Trust and an expert in infec-
tious diseases, said the virus appeared
to have found a niche that “allowed for
some superspreader events”. But he
warned: “The worst thing is if we have
any stigma associated with these
infections, and people are fearful or
don’t want to come forward, and that’s
when epidemics can really take off.”
The skin conditions to watch out for,
Times2, page 4Six of the best Jonathan Waterer uses his shire horses to prepare soil for planting in north Devon. Farmers can expect sun and some showers today. Forecast, page 52
Ducklings crushed
Police have interviewed a van
driver suspected of crushing three
ducklings to death when he
allegedly chose not to wait for
them to cross a road near Stoke.
The 61-year-old man volunteered
to speak to officers, Staffordshire
police said. They were made
aware of the incident after a
witness posted about it on social
media and included images.Five hit by school bus
Five children were injured after
they were hit by a school bus in
Llanfair Caereinion, Powys. The
children, believed to be aged 11 to
16, were struck outside a high
school at about 3.25pm. The
Wales Air Ambulance was called
to airlift them to hospital but no
details were revealed of their
condition. The bus driver was also
taken to hospital.Scam victims on hold
Banks are leaving scam victims
on hold for up to half an hour,
research has found. The
consumer group Which? tested 11
helplines with an average wait at
the Co-operative Bank of 31
minutes, 40 seconds while First
Direct answered after 16 seconds.
Every second can count in fraud
if the bank can act before the
cash is moved out of the country.Second strip-search girl
A girl aged 14 was strip-searched
by Metropolitan Police officers
while on her period, according to
a BBC Radio File on 4 report to
be broadcast at 8pm tonight. Her
mother said that the girl was so
traumatised that she attempted
suicide. In March the Met
apologised for doing the same
thing to a 15-year-old black girl at
her school and without an adult.Paramedic ‘cover-up’
Sajid Javid has been urged by
Wes Streeting, his Labour
counterpart, to investigate the
North East Ambulance Service
after whistleblowers told The
Sunday Times it covered up
paramedics’ mistakes. Managers
allegedly omitted facts from
reports before they were sent to
the coroner. Streeting said in a
letter that people “need to have
confidence that their emergency
services are safe and transparent.
Families affected deserve answers
and to see consequences.”AAAABBBC
DEEEFH I I
ILLNNOOR
RRSTTTUVSolve all five clues using each
letter underneath once only1 Suit (5)2 Interwoven length of hair (5)3 Reef-forming organism (5)4 Not feasible (8)5 Compass direction (9)Quintagram®No 1323
Solutions MindGames in Times
Cryptic clues page 10 of TMARK PASSMORE/APEX NEWSMonkeypox could become endemic in
Europe if it makes the leap into animals,
health officials have warned.
Another 36 cases of the virus, which
causes a rash and a fever, were reported
in England yesterday, taking the total to
- Scotland reported its first case.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said
there was “community transmission” of
the virus, indicated by cases confirmed
from “three unlinked incidents”.
He added: “In the coming days
I expect that further cases will be
detected by the UK Health Security
Agency’s expert diagnostic capabilities,
working with NHS services to ensure
heightened vigilance among health-
care professionals.”
The agency has set up a helpline for
clinicians dealing with monkeypox,
he added. Extra testing capacity
was being offered.
Officials described the out-
break as “significant and con-
cerning” but said the risk to
Britain remained low.
Close contacts of people with
the disease are being offered a
smallpox vaccine called Imvanex,
which also gives people some pro-
tection against monkeypox. More
than 1,000 doses are being issued to
NHS trusts. Giving someone the jab
within four days of exposure can reduce
the risk of infection and later injection
protects against severe illness.
Javid said there were more than
3,500 remaining doses in the NHS and
more had been bought. Contacts at
high risk are being told to isolate at
home for up to 21 days.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical
adviser at the agency, thanked people
who had come forward for testing and
supported contact-tracing efforts.
“You are helping us limit the spread
of this infection in the UK,” she said.
“Because the virus spreads through
close contact, we are urging everyone
to be aware of any unusual rashes or
lesions and to contact a sexual health
service if they have any symptoms.
“A
notable
proportion of
recent cases in the
UK and Europe have been found in gay
and bisexual men, so we are particularly
encouraging these men to be alert to
the symptoms.”
Monkeypox is spread through close
person-to-person contact, or contact
with items used by an infected person.
In a new risk assessment yesterday
the European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control said there was
“a potential risk of human-to-animal
transmission in Europe”. It said a “spill-
over event” of that kind could mean the
virus established itself in European
wildlife and became endemic in the
region, as it is in parts of central and
western Africa.
Rodents, and squirrels in particular,Spread to animals would raise risk
of monkeypox becoming endemic
Kat Lay Health Editor
Q&A
How many cases of
monkeypox have there
been in the UK?
There have now been 56
cases identified in England,
and one in Scotland.
Officials expect that to rise.What about the rest of the
world?
The World Health
Organisation (WHO) reports
dozens more cases in
countriesincluding Spain, France, the
US, Canada and Israel.
These are countries where
the virus is not usually
reported.Who is getting infected?
We know that a “notable
proportion” of cases are in
gay or bisexual men. At
least one child has been
infected and is being cared
for in a London hospital.
The Health Security Agency
has refused to disclose the
age or sex of those affected.How are they getting
infected?
WHO officials believe two
recent events for the gay
community in Belgium and
Spain may have acted as
“superspreader” events,
with the virus spreading
during close contact such
as sexual liaisons.
Experts have stressed that
monkeypox can spreadduring close contact of any
kind, or through contact
with clothing, utensils or
linen used by an infected
person.What are health officials
doing?
Public health teams are
tracing known contacts of
cases, who are then tested.
If necessary the contacts
are being offered a
smallpox vaccine that offers
some protection against
infection and severe
disease. They may also be
told to isolate at home for
up to 21 days.Why is this happening
now?
Monkeypox is endemic in
animals in some western
and central African
countries, but has not
previously triggered
outbreaks beyond that
region. It is thought unlikelythat the virus has changed.
Previous generations
vaccinated against smallpox
— a deadlier virus from the
same family — will have had
some protection.How worried should we
be?
The risk to the general
population is low, health
officials say. The virus
requires close contact to
spread, and vaccines and
treatments are likely to help
patients recover.
While numbers do appear
to be rising rapidly, that
should be seen in the
context of health officials
identifying cases as part of
contact-tracing efforts.
The type of monkeypox in
circulation in the UK is the
milder form of the virus. It
has a death rate of 1 per
cent, based on outbreaks in
settings without stable
healthcare systems.ne for
pox,
ty- re
d to
he jab
educe
ection
“A
notable
proportio
recent cases
UK andEurope have been found