Although anyone can be infected with monkey pox, data from the outbreak show that the majority of transmission occurs in the sexual networks of homosexuals, bisexuals and other men who have sex with men, according to the United Kingdom Health Insurance Agency (UK). ). An individual’s eligibility will depend on a number of factors, but will be similar to the criteria used to assess pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – a drug taken by people at risk for HIV prevention. HIV infection through sexual contact or injecting drug use. said UKHSA on Tuesday.
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Doctors may advise vaccination for someone who, for example, has multiple partners, engages in group sex or attends “on-site sex” sites, the agency added. Initially, the UKHSA had only recommended close contact with cases, including healthcare workers to offer the vaccine, Imvanex. The Bavarian Nordic vaccine is approved for smallpox in Europe, but has been used off-label in response to monkeypox outbreaks. More than 2,500 cases of smallpox in monkeys have been reported from more than 35 countries outside Africa where the virus is endemic. The outbreak has caused concern, as the virus rarely occurs outside Africa – and most cases are not related to travel to the continent. Scientists are trying to figure out what drives the current epidemic, its origins and whether anything has changed about the virus. Monkey pox virus is thought to be transmitted through close contact with an infected person, who can eliminate the virus through its characteristic skin lesions or large respiratory droplets. (Report by Natalie Grover in London; Edited by Jane Merriman, William Maclean)
