New Delhi: The UK government has asked gay and bisexual men to be on alert after four new cases of monkeypox were detected by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), PTI reported. The new cases have taken the total number of monkeypox infections in the UK to seven after it was detected earlier this year.
The health authorities said all the new cases -- three in London and one in the north east of England -- were found in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM).
The development signals that the virus could be spreading in the community for the first time as the four new cases do not have known connections with the previous confirmed cases. The infected have no travel history to Africa, where monkeypox is known to be endemic, UKHSA said in a statement.
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"This is rare and unusual. UKHSA is rapidly investigating the source of these infections because the evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox virus in the community, spread by close contact," Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser, UKHSA, said in a statement.
However, those found to be infected have the West African strain of the monkeypox virus, which is mild compared to the Central African strain.
The UK health department has urged gay and bisexual men to be alert to unusual rashes or lesions. "We are particularly urging men who are gay and bisexual to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service without delay," Hopkins said.
Monkeypox is a viral infection that is spread by very close contact with someone with monkeypox and most people recover within a few weeks. The virus does not spread easily between people. Comon symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, back aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.
(With inputs from agencies)