FIRST came Covid, then a mysterious outbreak of hepatitis among kids and now monkeypox.
It’s the latest health scare to send shivers down our spines, with words like “isolation” rearing their ugly heads once more.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease typically seen in parts of central and west Africa, having been discovered in a colony of monkeys in 1958, and later in humans in 1970.
On May 7, the UK Health Security Agency announced that a case had been detected in a patient who had travelled to Britain from Nigeria.
Since then cases have risen, with community spread and more than 300 cases outside Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.
More than 100 of those cases have been detected in the UK, with one child ending up in intensive care and infections confirmed across Europe and the US among other countries.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA, said: “We are continuing to promptly detect new monkeypox cases through our extensive surveillance network and NHS services.
“If anyone suspects they have rashes or lesions on any part of their body, particularly if they have recently had a new sexual partner, they should limit their contact with others and contact NHS 111, or their local sexual health service as soon as possible, though phone ahead before attending in person.”
So, what is monkeypox, who is at risk and why are young men making up most of the cases so far?
We asked Dr Amr Bayoumy, a virologist at Coventry University, to share everything you need to know.
