Monkeypox outbreak showing signs of slowing in the UK, says health agency

British health officials on Monday said that the monkeypox outbreak across the country is showing signs of slowing. However, the officials have added that it is too soon to know if the decline will be maintained, according to an AP report.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, authorities are reporting about 29 new monkeypox infections every day, compared to about 52 cases a day during the last week in June. In July, officials estimated the outbreak was doubling in size about every two weeks. As of now, the UK has recorded more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox, with more than 70 per cent of cases in London.

More than 27,000 people were immunised with a vaccine designed against smallpox, a related disease, the agency further added.

These vaccines, which were administered by the National Health Service, to those at high risk of exposure to monkeypox, should have a significant impact on the transmission of the virus, the health agency said. 

British authorities also said that they bought as many as 150,000 doses of the vaccine, which was made by Bavarian Nordic, the world's only supplier. While the first 50,000 doses have already been rolled out, the next lot of 100,000 doses are expected to be delivered in September. 

In July, Britain downgraded its assessment of the outbreak, after it saw no signs of sustained transmission. According to the health agency, " the vast majority of cases were in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men." 99% of the reported monkeypox infections in the UK were in men. 

As of August 12, 2022, a total of 31,799 monkeypox cases have been reported from 89 countries, with over 2,900 cases reported in the UK alone. In July 2022, World Health Organisation declared monkeypox as a global health emergency, owing to the surge in the number of cases.

In Delhi, five confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported so far in Delhi, the city government said on Saturday and asserted that the situation is being "continuously monitored".

In a statement, the health department also said instructions have been issued to all government and private hospitals to notify all suspected cases of monkeypox according to the case definition and refer them to designated hospitals for isolation and management, in coordination with district surveillance units.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease which spreads when people come in close, physical contact with the infected person. Its symptoms include- rash, lesion, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and backache, respiratory symptoms, and headache.

As per data available, "outside of Africa, 98 per cent of cases are in men who have sex with men. With only a limited global supply of vaccines, authorities are racing to stop monkeypox before it becomes entrenched as a new disease."