STD clinics have reintroduced social distancing amid fears of an outbreak of monkeypox cases in the U.K. MailOnline has more.
At least one practice in West London had already brought in stricter infection control measures yesterday, before the total number of British cases rose to seven.
Patients were told to keep a one-metre distance in the waiting room and were asked if they had any unusual bumps or rashes prior to each appointment.
Monkeypox can be mistaken for syphilis or other common rash illnesses, making it difficult to diagnose early.
A health source told MailOnline the stricter measures were not part of new national guidance but they could not rule out some NHS boards ‘putting in measures locally’.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses have now written to regional NHS teams telling them to stock up on PPE and be on alert for patients with a new rash.
Seven Britons have been diagnosed with monkeypox and six of them appear to have contracted it in the UK, in a sign the virus is spreading in the community.
Five are in London, one in the South East, and one in the North East. Four of the cases are in gay or bisexual men.
The first UK patient, who was diagnosed nearly two weeks ago, had brought the virus back from Nigeria, where the disease is endemic.
Transmission between people is “unusual” and “surprising”, according to experts, but any outbreak is likely to be small.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: ITV has published a helpful explainer so people can work out whether they’ve got Monkeypox. Reminder: there are nine recorded cases of Monkeypox in the U.K. So one in 7.47 million Britons are likely to be infectious.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.