Experts have issued advice on how people can avoid catching Mpox after the UK said it was “preparing for cases”.
A new strain of the rare disease was confirmed in a traveller arriving in Sweden this week. The development has put health chiefs in Europe on high alert, though experts believe widespread transmission is unlikely.
Despite a low risk to the general public, professionals are still urging people to take precautions. These include avoiding physical contact with anyone displaying skin lesions, not sharing person items like cutlery, clothes, or bedding, and maintaining good hygiene practices including regular hand washing.
READ MORE: UK given ‘two weeks’ as deadly Mpox strain has probably already found its way to Britain
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Unlike airborne viruses such as swine flu and Covid-19 — which can spread even without symptoms — Mpox primarily spreads through direct skin contact. Formerly known as monkeypox, it typically causes visible skin lesions, which naturally discourage close contact.
Dr Chris Beyrer of Duke University’s Global Health Institute told the Mirror there are vaccines and treatments. “We have what we need to stop Mpox,” he said.
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Most cases are currently concentrated in Africa with the Democratic Republic of the Congo bearing the brunt and accounting for 96% of cases and fatalities. But the UK is “preparing for cases” after a global emergency was declared by World Health Organisation bosses.
The UK Health Security Agency said there were no cases of the virus currently in the country but it would introduce rapid testing and care protocols. Dr Meera Chand, the agency’s deputy director, explained the risk was considered low but plans were in place.
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“[These] include ensuring that clinicians are able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available [and] that protocols are developed [to] care for people who have the infection and prevent onward transmission,” she said.
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