Almost 99% of people infected are men and the average age is 38 according to UK Health Security Agency data
Four-fifths of the people in England who have been infected with monkeypox live in London, an investigation by the UK Health Security Agency has found.
Of the cases interviewed, 99% of those infected are men and their average age is 38, the agency added after analysing 336 of the 366 confirmed cases found in the UK since the outbreak began last month.
Continue reading...Prime minister renames island in Lake Burley Griffin to honour monarch’s 70 years of service to Australia. This blog is now closed
Brisbane’s new Greens MPs set their sights on the suburbs
Brisbane’s new Greens MPs talk about the moments they “flipped” voters – the driveway conversions of climate unbelievers or hostile folks who had only ever supported the major parties.
Continue reading...Data prior to current outbreaks suggested resurgence of the disease, with waning immunity from smallpox vaccination contributing to spread
The sudden emergence of monkeypox in several countries has raised questions about how the virus, which is most common in central and west Africa, has managed to spread.
Many health experts have said the monkeypox cases in 12 countries are not cause for panic, given the virus is much less infectious than illnesses like Covid and rarely fatal, but it is highly unusual.
Continue reading...Some media portrayals of cases among African and LGBTI people fueling blame, agency says, as infections reported in Europe, US and Australia
The United Nations’ Aids agency has called some reporting on the monkeypox virus racist and homophobic, warning of exacerbating stigma and undermining the response to the growing outbreak.
UNAIDS said “a significant proportion” of recent monkeypox cases have been identified among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
Continue reading...Close contacts of those infected with rare disease offered vaccines and told to isolate for up to 21 days
Public health officials are to announce more UK monkeypox cases on Monday, as efforts ramp up to contain the first multinational outbreak of the virus that has led to cases in at least 14 countries.
The unusual outbreak of the rare disease has sparked a wave of contact tracing and testing, with the closest contacts of confirmed cases – such as partners and people in the same household – offered a vaccine and told to isolate at home for up to 21 days.
Continue reading...National security adviser assures public that the US has a ‘vaccine that is relevant to treating’ virus
Joe Biden said Sunday that “everybody” should be worried about the spread of monkeypox recently, and his national security adviser assured the public that the US has a “vaccine that is relevant to treating” the virus.
During an official visit to South Korea, Biden told reporters, “They haven’t told me the level of exposure yet but it is something that everybody should be concerned about.” The president, who was speaking at Osan airbase, also added: “It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential.”
Continue reading...David Heymann says experts developing guidance for countries, as New York City resident tests positive for Orthopoxvirus
A senior adviser for the World Health Organization has said the monkeypox outbreak seems to be spreading through sexual contact, and warned that case numbers could spike over the summer months as people attend major summer gatherings and festivals.
David Heymann, chair of the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential, led a meeting of the group on Friday “because of the urgency of the situation”.
Continue reading...The virus has been found in an ‘atypical’ spread in several countries as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia
A top European health official has warned that cases of the rare monkeypox virus could accelerate in the coming months, as the virus spread across Europe.
Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said that “as we enter the summer season … with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission could accelerate”.
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