The Times - UK (2022-05-28)

16 Saturday May 28 2022 | the times

News

The NHS 111 service has been “over-

loaded” by people worried that they

have a rash caused by monkeypox, a

health official said yesterday, as 16 addi-

tional cases were identified in England.

Mateo Prochazka, the head of the

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

team investigating the monkeypox

outbreak, encouraged people who are

concerned about new spots, ulcers or

blisters to consider contacting their

local sexual health services instead.

“Sexual health clinics are not just for

gay and bisexual men,” he told a

webinar organised by Prepster, a volun-

teer group that usually focuses on pre-

venting HIV and is now working on

raising awareness about monkeypox.

“Anyone can be seen in a sexual

health clinic regardless of gender,

sexual orientation or identity. Every-

one is welcome.

“There are other potential routes of

trying to get yourself into the system,

maybe calling NHS 111, but this has

been overloaded with everyone calling

who had a rash. We are trying to point

people towards sexual health clinics.”

The 16 new cases took the total of

reported monkeypox infections to 106.

There have been three confirmed cases

in Scotland, one in Wales, one in

Northern Ireland and 101 in England.

Globally, more than 200 cases have

been confirmed in 21 countries where

monkeypox is not usually seen. The

virus can cause serious illness but no

deaths have been reported.

The risk to the UK population

remained low, the UKHSA said. “But

we are asking people to be alert to any

new rashes or lesions, which would

appear like spots, ulcers or blisters, on

any part of their body,” it added.

“Although this advice applies to

everyone, the majority of the cases

identified to date have been among

men who are gay, bisexual and men

who have sex with men, so we are

asking these people in particular to be

aware of the symptoms, particularly if

they have recently had a new sexual

partner. You should contact a sexual

health clinic immediately if you

develop a rash or lesions — though

please phone ahead before attending in

person.”

The UKHSA was continuing to

NHS helpline

deluged by calls

asking if rash

is monkeypox

contact people who are considered to

be “high-risk” contacts of confirmed

cases. Even if they remain well they are

being asked to isolate at home for up to

21 days.

The UK has bought more 20,

doses of a smallpox vaccine called

Imvanex, which is effective against

monkeypox. It is being offered to close

contacts.

Experts said that the UK outbreak

had been predictable, with warning

signs largely being ignored. Dr Michael

Skinner, reader in virology at Imperial

College London, said that the virus had

been “brewing for some time” in

African countries including Nigeria.

The virus moves from animals to

people, with tree squirrels and other

rodents seen as likely carriers.

However, monkeypox samples

recovered from across that region show

a significant amount of genetic

variation. “I think that points to a wide

range of host species,” he said. “And

that’s part of the problem: to be honest,

we just don’t know where it is in the

wildlife in west Africa.”

Cases had been exported in recent

years to countries including the UK,

Israel and Singapore. “We began to

think that this looked like an annual

occurrence,” he said. “We’d done very

well at picking up cases in previous

years. It was inevitable that at some

point, there would be a case that

wouldn’t be picked up early. Now it

seems to have gotten into these high-

contact networks.”

A recent review of scientific

literature found that the number of

human monkeypox cases has been on

the rise since the 1970s. One cause is

thought to be the end of smallpox

vaccinations, which also protected

against monkeypox.

However, Dr Charlotte Hammer, an

epidemiologist at the University of

Cambridge, said that many aspects of

the virus were not well understood.

“This isn’t a monkeypox problem —

it’s a wider problem of our approach to

public and global health, where we tend

to not care too much about a disease, if

it’s not here in the west,” she said. “The

Nigeria [authorities have] been looking

into this outbreak and they are

genuinely very good. They have asked

for international support — and there

hasn’t been much forthcoming.”

Rhys Blakely Science Correspondent

A

police car has

been put out

of action by a

pair of

protected

seagulls nesting on its

roof: officers are unable

to clear the twigs and

branches because it is

illegal to damage or

destroy a birds’ nest

under the Wildlife and

Countryside Act 1981.

Instead, they have

coned off the vehicle in

the car park next to the

police station in the

market town of

Bridport, Dorset, to

keep members of the

public away from it. A

spokesman for the

RSPB said they were

reassured that the birds

would be safe while

under police protection.

As the nesting season

for seagulls runs until

July the squad car could

be out of use for some

time. A spokesman for

Dorset police said: “We

are liaising with Natural

England to explore what

options are available to

us. As this is a spare

vehicle, there are

sufficient cars at the

location to meet our

requirements and

there will be no

impact on our daily

activities. However,

we are keen to get the

vehicle operational as

soon as possible.”

The RSPB spokesman

added: “Herring gulls

are on the red list of

highest conservation

concern and like many

seabirds face a range of

threats. Fortunately, it

won’t be long before the

eggs hatch — and the

young are away not long

after hatching.”

Flying squad? Nesting

gulls sideline officers

July the squad car could

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Police protection: the gulls will not be moved until their young have flown the nest

GRAHAM HUNT/BNPS