Monkeypox news – latest: WHO holding daily meetings amid Europe’s largest outbreak
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is holding daily monkeypox meetings as the virus continues to spread worldwide.
A spokesperson for the organisation told The Independent it is convening “a number of meetings related to monkeypox on a daily basis” involving experts from affected countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and technical advisory groups.
This includes a meeting on Friday involving the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Endemic Potential (STAG IH).
The outbreak is now said to be the “largest and most widespread ever seen in Europe”, where infections have surpassed 100.
Cases have now been confirmed in countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France and Italy and Germany.
Fabian Leendertz, from the Robert Koch Institute, described the outbreak as an “epidemic” but said it was “unlikely” to last long.
Key Points
UK outbreak is ‘unprecedented’
Monkeypox outbreak ‘largest ever’ in Europe
WHO holding daily meetings as virus spreads
Health chiefs issue urgent appeal for volunteer virologists
UK cases double to 20
UK offers smallpox vaccine
Friday 20 May 2022 10:37 , Chiara Giordano
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s monkeypox live blog.
We’ll bring you all the latest updates as the disease continues to spread across the globe.
Virus spreads across the globe
Friday 20 May 2022 10:45 , Chiara Giordano
A number of countries have reported their first cases of monkeypox since yesterday, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.
Australia today reported its first monkeypox case in a traveller who recently returned from Britain, while a probable case of infection was identified with testing being carried out to confirm it.
A man in his 30s who arrived in Melbourne on Monday has the virus, Victoria state's health department said, while the probable case was identified in Sydney in a man in his 40s who had recently travelled to Europe.
Both men developed mild illness after arriving back in Australia with symptoms clinically compatible with monkeypox, health officials said.
Canada
Canada’s public health agency on Thursday confirmed the first two cases of monkeypox infections in the country after authorities in Quebec province said they were investigating 17 suspected cases.
Belgium
Belgian health experts are due to meet today after the country detected its first two cases.
The cases were diagnosed in different cities, though Flemish broadcaster VRTNWS said both patients had attended the same party in an undisclosed location.
France
French health authorities today confirmed a first case of monkeypox virus in the Paris region, several French media outlets reported, one day after news of a first suspected case emerged.
Italy
Italy diagnosed its first case of the monkeypox infection at the Spallanzani hospital in Rome, the hospital said on Thursday, adding that the person, who arrived from a stay on the Canary Islands, was being kept in isolation.
The hospital added there were two other suspected cases that had yet to be confirmed.
Portugal and Spain
Health authorities in Portugal identified nine new cases of the viral infection, taking the total to 14, while in Spain authorities on Thursday reported its first seven cases.
UK offers smallpox vaccine
Friday 20 May 2022 10:50 , Chiara Giordano
UK healthcare workers have been offered the smallpox vaccine as monkeypox cases spread further across the globe.
While there is no specific vaccine for the disease, a smallpox jab does offer some protection, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Data shows vaccines that were used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85 per cent effective against monkeypox, according to the World Health Organisation.
A UKHSA spokesperson said “those who have required the vaccine have been offered it”, without disclosing specifics on how many people have been vaccinated so far.
Some countries have large stockpiles of the smallpox vaccine as part of pandemic preparedness, including the United States.
Spain reports 14 more cases
Friday 20 May 2022 11:07 , Chiara Giordano
Spain has reported 14 more cases of monkeypox today, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 21, regional health authorties in Madrid said.
Germany announces first monkeypox case
Friday 20 May 2022 11:27 , Chiara Giordano
Germany has detected its first case of monkeypox.
The German armed forces’ medical service said in a statement: "The Institute for Microbiology of the German Armed Forces in Munich has now also detected the monkeypox virus beyond doubt for the first time in Germany on 19 May 2022 in a patient with characteristic skin lesions.”
Montreal investigating 17 suspected cases
Friday 20 May 2022 11:37 , Chiara Giordano
Montreal public health officials are investigating 17 suspected cases of monkeypox infections.
A US case was identified by Massachusetts public health officials on Wednesday in a man who had recently travelled to the Canadian province of Quebec.
Health officials in Montreal, Quebec’s largest city, told reporters there was a link between the US case of monkeypox in Massachusetts and a few of the suspected cases in the Montreal region.
Dr Mylene Drouin, public health director of Montreal, said the cases were not considered severe and were mainly among men who had had sexual relations with men, between 30 to 55 years old.
While public health officials hope to have laboratory confirmation by the weekend, Dr Drouin said there was a good chance cases were due to monkeypox.
"The more that we see the evolution of what's happening around the world, and the link that we have with the case in the US, we suspect that it's a strong possibility," she said.
Dr Genevieve Bergeron, a medical officer for health emergencies and infectious diseases, said the first suspected case was reported on 12 May.
Monkeypox symptoms and why does it appear to be spreading?
Friday 20 May 2022 11:50 , Chiara Giordano
My colleague Joe Sommerlad has put together this helpful explainer on what symptoms to look out for and why monkeypox appears to be spreading across the world.
Monkeypox symptoms and why does it appear to be spreading?
WHO calls emergency meeting as UK cases ‘set to double'
Friday 20 May 2022 12:02 , Chiara Giordano
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reportedly called an emergency meeting as the UK’s monkeypox cases are expected to double.
Two cases of the virus were reported in the UK, taking the total number to nine. However 11 more cases are due to be announced today, according to The Times, bringing the tally to 20.
WHO will convene a group of leading experts at a meeting to discuss the ongoing outbreak today, The Telegraph reports.
The newspaper said it was believed the main topics of discussion would be how the virus is being spread, the unusually high prevalence in gay and bisexual men, and the vaccination situation.
Italy confirms two more cases bringing total to three
Friday 20 May 2022 12:10 , Chiara Giordano
Italy has confirmed two more cases of monkeypox infection at the Spallanzani hospital in Rome, bringing the total cases to three so far in the country.
The Lazio region health commissioner said in a statement today that two other suspected infections related to the first detected case had been confirmed.
The Spallanzani hospital said on Thursday that the first patient with monkeypox, a mild viral infection whose symptoms include fever, headaches as well as the distinctive bumpy rash, had come back to Italy from a stay on the Canary islands.
UK cases double to 20
Friday 20 May 2022 12:22 , Chiara Giordano
Health secretary Sajid Javid said the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 11 more cases of monkeypox in the UK, with most being described as mild.
The new cases come on top of the nine previously identified, with the initial case having returned from travel to Nigeria.
It takes the UK total to 20.
Mr Javid said: "UKHSA have confirmed 11 new cases of Monkeypox in the UK. This morning I updated G7 health ministers on what we know so far.
"Most cases are mild, and I can confirm we have procured further doses of vaccines that are effective against monkeypox."
Portuguese health authority admits it is worried – but urges people to stay calm
Friday 20 May 2022 12:25 , Chiara Giordano
The health authority in Portugal, the country with the most monkeypox cases, admitted it was worried about the spread of the disease but urged people to stay calm as the transmission risk is low.
At the last tally, Portugal had reported 14 cases of monkeypox, while there were about 20 suspected infections.
The outbreaks in Britain, Portugal, Spain, the United States and other countries raised alarm because the disease, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in West and Central Africa, and only very occasionally elsewhere.
Margarida Tavares, the spokesperson for Portugal’s monkeypox working group, said: "The health authority... is worried... It is important to act in the right way and make the right decisions to break transmission chains.
“(But) the risk for the population is low. It is not a disease that is easily transmitted."
Tavares said cases in Portugal were all detected in sexual health clinics and those infected were men aged between 20 and 40 years old who self-identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.
They all have mild symptoms and their health status is improving. No one has been hospitalised.
Monkeypox spreads in Europe as Sweden, Italy, France and Belgium confirm first cases
Friday 20 May 2022 12:35 , Chiara Giordano
Monkeypox infections have spread to at least seven European countries as Sweden, France, Belgium and Italy have become the latest to announce their first cases of the viral infection.
The new cases mean increasing global transmission of the disease, with infections having emerged in the US and even Australia.
My colleague Shweta Sharma has more details:
Monkeypox spreads in Europe as Sweden, Italy, France and Belgium confirm first cases
Africa contained monkey pox outbreaks during Covid pandemic when world’s attention was elsewhere, says health chief
Friday 20 May 2022 12:45 , Chiara Giordano
Several outbreaks of monkey pox in Africa have been contained during the Covid-19 pandemic while the world's attention was elsewhere – but outbreaks in Europe and the United States are a concern, Africa's top public health agency has said.
The disease, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa and only rarely spreads elsewhere.
The acting director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that since 2020 outbreaks had been seen and contained in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African Republic.
"During this pandemic, we have had several outbreaks of monkey pox on the continent ... We also expect that other outbreaks will come and we'll handle it in the usual way," Ahmed Ogwell Ouma told a weekly news briefing.
"We are however concerned at the multiple countries outside, especially in Europe, that are seeing these outbreaks of monkey pox. It would be very useful for knowledge to be shared regarding what the source of these outbreaks actually are," he said.
"We are in close contact with our counterparts at the European CDC to try and understand where that did come from because when you see monkey pox in environments that are far away from a forested area then for sure as far as public health is concerned it raises a lot of questions."
11 new cases confirmed in UK as outbreak spreads
Friday 20 May 2022 12:48 , Chiara Giordano
Eleven more cases of monkeypox have been found in the UK, health chiefs say, bringing the total to 20.
The World Health Organisation has reportedly called an emergency meeting after the tally more than doubled.
Jane Dalton has the full story:
Eleven new monkeypox cases in UK as outbreak spreads
Opinion: Our toxic relationship with animals is sleepwalking us into disaster
Friday 20 May 2022 13:00 , Chiara Giordano
Julia Baines, a science policy manager for animal rights charity PETA, has said we risk triggering another global pandemic “if we continue to use and abuse animals”.
In this piece for Indy Voices, she writes: “When will we learn? Now that monkeypox has been detected in Canada, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the US, we should accept that our toxic relationship with animals is sleepwalking us into disaster.”
Opinion: Monkeypox is the result of our cruel relationship with animals
Portugal cases rise to 23
Friday 20 May 2022 13:10 , Chiara Giordano
Portugal has reported nine new confirmed monkeypox cases, bringing the total to 23.
Appeal for virologists to help
Friday 20 May 2022 13:43 , Jane Dalton
Public health officials have sent out an “urgent” call to consultant virologists for volunteers to help the “rapidly scaling up” monkeypox response, The Independent has learnt. Rebecca Thomas reports:
Monkeypox: Urgent call for volunteer virologists as outbreak spreads
Spain and Portugal record 23 new cases with more suspected
Friday 20 May 2022 14:02 , Jane Dalton
Health authorities in Portugal and Spain on Friday reported respectively nine and 14 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number in each country above 20, the outbreak’s highest tallies so far.
Twenty-three confirmed cases have now been identified in total in Portugal, while 21 cases have been reported in Spain.
Another 21 suspected cases are under investigation in Spain, 19 in the Madrid region, one in the Canary Islands and one in Andalusia, the health authority said.
WHO holding daily meetings as virus spreads
Friday 20 May 2022 14:34 , Chiara Giordano
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is holding daily meetings as the virus continues to spread worldwide.
A spokesperson for the organisation told The Independent it is convening “a number of meetings related to monkeypox on a daily basis” involving experts from affected countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and technical advisory groups.
This includes a meeting with the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Endemic Potential (STAG IH), which is being held today.
The spokesperson said monkeypox had been a priority pathogen for WHO for many years.
Australia reports first monkeypox case in man returning from Britain
Friday 20 May 2022 14:49 , Chiara Giordano
Australia has detected its first monkeypox infection and officials are monitoring a second suspected case, as the country joined a growing list reporting outbreaks of the disease.
Health authorities in the country’s southeast Victoria state confirmed the infection on Friday in a 30-year-old man who reached Melbourne from Britain.
Shweta Sharma has the full story:
Australia reports first monkeypox case in man returning from Britain
Monkeypox outbreak in Europe 'largest ever' in region as cases cross 100
Friday 20 May 2022 15:01 , Chiara Giordano
More than 100 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Europe, with German officials describing the outbreak as the largest ever in the region.
Cases have now been confirmed in countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, the United States and Australia.
First identified in monkeys, the disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa, so this series of cases has triggered concern.
"With several confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal, this is the largest and most widespread outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe," said Germany's armed forces' medical service, which detected its first case in the country today.
Fabian Leendertz, from the Robert Koch Institute, described the outbreak as an epidemic.
"However it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long,” he said. “The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary.”
Several suspected cases in the Netherlands
Friday 20 May 2022 15:27 , Chiara Giordano
There are several suspected cases of monkeypox in the Netherlands, ANP news agency is reporting, quoting RIVM – the Dutch institute for health.
Outbreak in UK is ‘unprecedented'
Friday 20 May 2022 15:41 , Chiara Giordano
Jimmy Whitworth, Professor of International Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said the monkeypox outbreak in the UK was “unprecedented”.
He said: “There is a need to engage with the at-risk community of gay and bisexual men to ensure they know about the presence of this infection and report any sign and symptoms to health facilities.
“Cases need to be identified, isolated and treated, either in hospital or at home, depending on severity and circumstances.
“Close contacts need to be identified and monitored for signs of infection. Monkeypox is not very transmissible and, with these measures, the outbreak can be quickly brought under control.
“It spreads by close contact, either through touching the person, or items such as bedding or shared utensils. It can cause serious illness, although most people recover fully within a few weeks.”
Spain cases reach 30 as Madrid outbreak linked to sauna
Friday 20 May 2022 16:04 , Chiara Giordano
Health authorities in Spain have reported 23 new confirmed cases of monkeypox, mainly in the Madrid region where most infections are linked to an outbreak in an adult sauna.
The total tally in Spain has now reached 30, while 23 confirmed cases have now been identified in neighbouring Portugal, where nine new cases were detected today.
Madrid authorities have been working on tracing the cases mainly from a single outbreak in a sauna, regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero told reporters.
The word sauna is used in Spain to describe establishments popular with gay men looking for sex rather than just a bathhouse.
Monkeypox: What we know about rare virus as more cases confirmed around globe
Friday 20 May 2022 16:24 , Joe Middleton
Monkeypox is spreading across the globe with cases now reported in the US, Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.
In Britain, the total number of confirmed infections has now reached 20. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is reportedly convening a team of experts to hold a meeting on the growing crisis.
So what precisely is monkeypox and how much danger does it pose to the public?
Joe Sommerlad has everything we know so far about monkeypox.
What we know about monkeypox as rare virus spreads
Monkeypox a different type of virus to Covid-19, says health expert
Friday 20 May 2022 16:46 , Joe Middleton
Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said monkeypox was a different sort of virus to Covid, adding: “A big monkeypox outbreak like this is still a very different situation to a Covid-19 pandemic.”
He said more cases would come to light, adding: “The contact tracing efforts by public health teams will be crucial in containing the outbreak.”
WHO confirms emergency monkeypox meeting
Friday 20 May 2022 17:08 , Joe Middleton
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday called a meeting to discuss monkeypox, a spokesperson said in an email to Reuters, saying the meeting was one of several taking place daily.
The meeting is of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Endemic Potential, he confirmed.
Canada health agency says spread of monkeypox across countries is ‘unusual’
Friday 20 May 2022 17:30 , Joe Middleton
US rushes to buy 13 million doses of Monkeypox vaccines as possible case detected in New York
Friday 20 May 2022 18:24 , Joe Middleton
US officials are rushing to buy 13 million doses of Monkeypox vaccines after the first case of the rare infection was confirmed on US soil and a new possible case has been detected in New York.
The US government has placed an $119m order with Bavarian Nordic for the Jynneos vaccine, which is effective against both the Monkeypox virus and Smallpox, the biotech company revealed.
A further $180m is also ready and waiting to buy even more vaccines if or when it is needed, altogether enabling the country to get 13 million doses into the arms of the American people.
The move comes as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed it is investigating a possible Monkeypox case in the Big Apple.
Rachel Sharp reports
US rushes to buy 13 million doses of Monkeypox vaccines as possible case in New York
Monkeypox: Urgent call for volunteer virologists as UK cases rise to 20
Friday 20 May 2022 18:54 , Joe Middleton
Health officials have issued an “urgent” call to virologists to help the “rapidly scaling-up” response to the monkeypox outbreak, The Independent has learned, as 11 new cases are confirmed in Britain.
It comes as World Health Organisation reportedly held an emergency meeting over a “worrying” rise of the disease globally.
In an email seen by The Independent, UK Health Security Agency head of laboratory business and operations, Louise Forster, said: “We are looking for regional ID, microbiology or virology consultants to join the Monkey Pox clinical cell. As you are aware this is a national enhanced incident with a very high priority response, which is rapidly scaling up and we urgently need as many volunteers as possible.”
Rebecca Thomas has the latest.
Monkeypox: Urgent call for volunteer virologists as outbreak spreads
First monkeypox case confirmed in Netherlands
Friday 20 May 2022 19:25 , Joe Middleton
A patient with monkeypox was confirmed in the Netherlands for the first time, the government’s health agency said on Friday, adding more people may have become infected with the disease.
“After the weekend, we will give an update on any new infections that have become known”, the National Insitute for Health (RIVM) said in a statement.
More than 100 cases of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, have been reported in Europe this week, with German officials describing the outbreak as the largest ever in the region.
Friday 20 May 2022 20:00 , Joe Middleton
ICYMI: 11 new monkeypox cases confirmed in UK as outbreak spreads
Friday 20 May 2022 20:30 , Joe Middleton
Eleven more cases of monkeypox have been found in the UK, health chiefs say, bringing the total to 20.
The World Health Organisation is holding meetings with experts in all countries with outbreaks, including several other European nations that have at least 100 cases altogether.
The UK’s tally more than doubled on Friday, from the nine previously identified.
The initial recent case was diagnosed in someone who had returned to Britain from Nigeria, but the cases are not all in one cluster.
UK health chiefs say they expect cases to rise in the coming days, with more diagnosed in the community.
Jane Dalton and Rebecca Thomas report.
Eleven new monkeypox cases in UK as outbreak spreads
Additional cases of monkeypox in US likely, says top official
Friday 20 May 2022 20:50 , Joe Middleton
Additional cases of monkeypox are likely to be detected in the United States but the risk to the general public is low at this time, a senior US administration official said on Friday.
The first case of monkeypox this year in the country was confirmed on Wednesday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The infected man had recently traveled to Canada.
“It is likely that there could be some additional cases detected in the coming days as surveillance and testing begin to work more actively to look for cases,” the official told reporters.
“There appears to be a low risk to the general public at this time,” the official added.
Monkeypox, which mostly occurs in west and central Africa, is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, though milder.
It was first recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased in the last decade.
Symptoms include fever, headaches and skin rashes starting on the face and spreading to the rest of the body.
Spain monkeypox cases reach 30
Friday 20 May 2022 21:26 , Joe Middleton
Health authorities in Spain reported on Friday 24 new confirmed cases of monkeypox, mainly in the Madrid region where the regional government closed a sauna linked to the majority of infections.
The total tally in Spain has now reached 30, while 23 confirmed cases have now been identified in neighbouring Portugal, where nine new cases were detected on Friday.
Madrid authorities have been working on tracing the cases mainly from a single outbreak in a sauna, regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero told reporters on Friday.
“The Public Health Department will carry out an even more detailed analysis... to control contagion, cut the chains of transmission and try to mitigate the transmission of this virus as much as possible,” he said.
The Extremadura region confirmed its first case on Friday afternoon.
Another 18 suspected cases are under investigation in Spain, 15 in the Madrid region, two in the Canary Islands and one in Andalusia, the health authorities said.
Calm down over monkeypox cases, urges Scotland’s chief medical officer
Friday 20 May 2022 22:12 , Joe Middleton
Scotland’s chief medical officer has told people to “take a breath and calm down” over cases of monkeypox in England.
Speaking to STV News on Friday evening, Professor Jason Leitch reassured viewers there are no cases of the virus in Scotland.
Prof Leitch said: “This is a known disease we know quite a lot about. Occasionally they get out of west and central Africa - to the US, to Europe, we’ve had cases here before.
“Usually if you interrupt the trains of transmission, you can knock this disease on its head.”
The infection, while unpleasant, is often mild and many recover within two to four weeks of having it.
Prof Leitch added: “There are no cases in Scotland so the first and most important thing is: everybody just needs to stop, take a breath and calm down.
“It’s still quite small numbers. What happens is, it’s quite an infectious virus, not as infectious or as airborne as Covid and things we’re used to like flu, but it can move from person to person.
“You need to be pretty close, it’s droplet spread, so it’s families, it’s sexual partners, it’s people who are in very close proximity.
“You get general fever, the kind of viral disease, but you also get a rash. If that happens or if you’re concerned, you should contact a health professional.”
Friday 20 May 2022 22:45 , Joe Middleton
The blog is now closed for the evening and no more updates will be posted until tomorrow
