The outbreak of monkeypox in Spain has been traced to a single “sauna”, officials confirmed today amid growing fears about its spread worldwide.
The country has already identified 30 cases of tropical virus – more than anywhere else in the world, including Britain. Almost all of them happened in Madrid, with young gays and bisexual men.
Authorities in charge of investigating the cases in the Spanish capital say they have now uncovered a common theme among those infected – they have all visited the same unnamed sauna. The word sauna is used in Spain to describe establishments popular with gay men seeking sex, as opposed to just a bath.
UK health officials are also exploring saunas and bars as they desperately try to control monkeypox. Officials say a disproportionate number of cases are gay and bisexual men.
The heads of the World Health Organization (WHO) convened an emergency meeting to discuss the threat of monkeypox today, with the Netherlands becoming the twelfth country to declare cases. However, none of his patients have yet been definitively diagnosed.
The European head of the WHO has admitted that he is concerned that the spread of monkeypox will only accelerate during the summer months. He also warned that the show had probably been “continued for some time”.
Dr Hans Kluge said: “As we enter the European summer season with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that the broadcast could be speeded up, as currently open cases are among those involved in sexual activity. and the symptoms are unknown to many. ‘
Meanwhile, the monkeypox epidemic in Britain has doubled today. Sajid Javid announced that 11 other people tested positive for the virus – which is usually found only in Africa.
Eleven more Britons have been diagnosed with monkeypox and it appears that all but one have contracted it in the UK. The original patient in the United Kingdom brought the virus back from Nigeria, where the disease is widespread. The United Kingdom has already registered 20 cases
The worst of the monkeypox is yet to come: health chiefs are preparing for “MORE cases in the coming days” as the “unprecedented” epidemic in the UK doubles in size
Covid-tired Britons were warned today that the worst of the monkeypox was yet to come as the country’s outbreak doubled.
Health officials tasked with tackling the tropical virus acknowledged that they “expect this increase to continue in the coming days.”
Sajid Javid confirmed 11 more cases today, bringing the total number of infected Britons to 20. Details of the new patients have not yet been announced.
But six of the previous nine confirmed cases have been in men who have sex with men – which officials say “strongly suggests a spread on sexual networks”. A similar pattern is emerging in Europe.
Leading experts are adamant that monkeypox will not go out of control like Covid, who forced the nation to impose two years of economically crippling restrictions. However, they called the escalating situation in the UK “undoubtedly alarming” and “unprecedented”.
Fears are also growing internationally, with the World Health Organization convening an emergency meeting later today to discuss mitigation strategies. Twelve countries have already identified cases of the virus, which are usually seen only in Africa. Today, Germany became the last nation to discover monkeypox, while the Netherlands examined several suspected patients.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK Health Security Agency, said authorities “expect new cases to be found”.
However, in a stern warning, she added: “We expect this increase to continue in the coming days and more cases to be identified in the wider community.”
Details of new patients in the UK have not yet been released.
But six of the previous nine confirmed cases have been in men who have sex with men – which officials say “strongly suggests a spread on sexual networks”. A similar pattern is emerging in Europe.
Leading experts are adamant that monkeypox will not go out of control like Covid, who forced the nation to impose two years of economically crippling restrictions. However, they called the escalating situation in the UK “undoubtedly alarming” and “unprecedented”.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK Health Security Agency, said authorities “expect new cases to be found”.
However, in a stern warning, she added: “We expect this increase to continue in the coming days and more cases to be identified in the wider community.”
MailOnline revealed yesterday that health chiefs are stockpiling vaccines amid growing fears of the virus spreading. Ministers were already sitting on 5,000 doses, but have now ordered an additional 20,000, sources said.
Close contacts are already being offered with known cases in the United Kingdom, including NHS staff.
But experts said on the website today how gay men could be offered vaccines against monkeypox as part of a targeted spread if the cases continued to be disproportionate in homosexual and bisexual men.
Spain is now ahead of Britain to become the world capital of monkeypox. Health authorities there today announced 23 more confirmed cases of monkeypox, mainly in the Madrid region.
Madrid officials are working to track the cases mainly from a fire in a sauna, according to regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero.
He said: “The Department of Public Health will carry out an even more detailed analysis … to control the infection, break the transmission chains and try to mitigate the transmission of this virus as much as possible.”
Another 18 suspects have been investigated in Spain, 15 in the Madrid region, two in the Canary Islands and one in Andalusia, health officials said.
Meanwhile, Portugal also opened nine more cases, leading to 23.
Cases in Portugal remain under clinical follow-up, but no one has been hospitalized as they are all stable, health officials said.
In a statement this afternoon, Dr. Kluge of the WHO said that “most of the cases in Europe” are “mild so far”.
But he warned that the disease “may be more severe, especially in young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.”
People with suspected monkeypox should be tested and isolated as soon as they develop symptoms, Dr. Kluge said.
Hand and respiratory hygiene and PPE are crucial to reducing transmission in healthcare – “the measures we all follow for Covid,” he said.
This comes when Germany today confirmed its first case of monkeypox in a patient who had “characteristic skin lesions” – a signal of the disease.
France, meanwhile, confirmed last night that a 29-year-old man in Paris had contracted the virus. He has not traveled recently, suggesting the virus is spreading in the community.
And Australia has confirmed two cases, including a man in his thirties who traveled from Britain to Melbourne with symptoms earlier this week.
Cases of monkeypox are common in West Africa and the virus does not spread widely elsewhere.
Therefore, reported outbreaks in Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States have raised concerns among public health experts.
The disease, first discovered in laboratory monkeys in the late 1950s, is usually mild, but in some cases can cause severe illness. It can kill up to 10% of the people it infects. The lighter strain causing the current epidemic kills one in 100 – similar to when Covid first struck.
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO’s European leader (left), acknowledged that he was concerned that the spread of monkeypox would only accelerate during the summer months. He also warned that the show had probably been “continued for some time”. WHO chiefs have held emergency meetings on monkeypox amid growing fears of an international epidemic. Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO Executive Director for Health Emergencies (right), to attend the expert meeting
Monkeypox has an incubation period of up to 21 days, which means it can take three weeks for symptoms to appear.
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
A rash can develop, often starting in the face and then spreading to other parts of the body, including the genitals. The rash may look like chickenpox or syphilis and scabs may form that then fall off.
This comes as it was revealed today that the heads of the World Health Organization will conduct an emergency monkey measles amid growing fears of an international epidemic.
Experts from the UN agency will discuss the unusually high levels among gays and bisexual men, it is said today.
Panelists reportedly including one of Covid’s top WHO advisers will also discuss how vaccines should be distributed to control spiral cases.
Since the beginning of the smallpox epidemic, the WHO has hosted daily meetings with experts from affected countries, its regional offices, as well as the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Its Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Endemic Potential (STAG IH) meets today.
Dr Mike Ryan, WHO’s executive director for health emergencies, must attend the gathering of experts, the Telegraph said.
An UKHSA epidemiologist speculates that health chiefs will consider escalating the crisis to an international public health emergency (PHEIC).
Dr Megan Cal said the meeting confirmed that the WHO “takes the situation seriously”. Only six PHEICs have been declared in the past, the most recent being Covid.
How do you catch monkeypox and what are the symptoms? EVERYTHING you need to know about the tropical virus
How do you catch monkeypox?
Until this global epidemic, smallpox was usually caught by infected animals in West and Central Africa.
The tropical virus is thought to be spread by rodents, including rats, mice and even squirrels.
People can catch the disease – which comes from the same family as …
Add Comment