Monkeypox: Sajid Javid and WHO hold meeting after UK virus cases double to 20
Health Secretary Sajid Javid and the World Health Organisation are held meetings to discuss the Monkeypox outbreak in the UK following a doubling of cases.
After two cases of the virus were reported on Thursday a further 11 were recorded today, taking the total to 20 – amid fears it may be spreading quicker than expected.
The UK government ordered more stocks of a smallpox vaccine which is reportedly effective against those who have been exposed. It currently has 5,000 but has ordered a further 20,000.
Sajid Javid, tweeting on Friday afternoon, said the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed the new cases and “this morning I updated G7 Health Ministers on what we know so far.”
“Most cases are mild, and I can confirm we have procured further doses of vaccines that are effective against Monkeypox.”
The G7 health ministers were present, alongside Dr Mike Ryan from the WHO.
The Telegraph reported that the World Health Organisation is also holding a meeting of experts on Friday, with the main topic being the prevention of its spread, and the vaccination.
There is an unusually high prevalence of Monkeypox among LGBT men, and the cases are also rising across mainland Europe.
UKHSA said the majority of the cases are not thought to be linked.
The virus is most common in central and west Africa, and it does not spread easily between people, meaning the risk to the public is low.
The WHO told Morning Wire the virus had been a ‘priority pathogen many years’ and since the rising number of cases in the continent, it has held numerous meetings on a daily basis.
Today a meeting was held with the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Endemic Potential (STAG IH).