Monkeypox virus disease outbreak news: superspreader events blamed for surge as UK awaits fresh tally

An infectious disease expert said superspreader events are likely behind the global surge in monkeypox cases.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of Wellcome, said there have been small outbreaks of cases in the UK in the past – but “something has changed” with this one.

“The virus may have changed, but I think that’s unlikely,” he told BBC Radio 4today Program.

“More likely, I think, is that the niche that this virus is in now allowed for some superspreader events and the people involved then traveled to other parts of the world and took the infection with them.”

He said the fact that the virus “spread so quickly across borders” was different from what had happened before.

Additional reporting by PA

“When will we study?” Julia Baines from Peta UK asks.

“Now that monkeypox has been discovered in Canada, Portugal, Spain, the UK and the US, we should accept that our toxic relationships with animals are sleepwalking us into disaster.”

Read their take on the spread of monkeypox here:

May 7: One case confirmed in England. Patients had recently traveled to Nigeria, where they are thought to have contracted the virus.

May 14: Two people living together in London have confirmed they have monkeypox.

May 16: Four more cases confirmed: three in London and one in the North East.

May 18: Two more cases confirmed: one in London, the other in the South East.

May 20: Eleven more cases confirmed in England.

Another announcement on monkeypox cases is expected later today. stay tuned for more

Experts who have observed previous monkeypox outbreaks said they were “stunned” by the recent spread of the virus in Europe and North America.

Simon Clarke, the chief secretary of the Treasury, said monkeypox was not a “rerun” of the Covid pandemic.

See him making the comments here:

The UK is expected to announce an increase in its 20 confirmed cases of monkeypox later in the day.

It comes after a senior doctor warned that new cases are being reported every day.

Furvah Shah Reports on the situation in Great Britain:

Monkeypox is not a ‘replica’ of Covid-19, a UK government minister has assured.

“As with any new disease and of course doubly so in the wake of the Covid pandemic, we continue to monitor this very closely,” Simon Clarke, the Treasury’s chief secretary, told Sky News.

“I’d say I’m cautious, but I’m certainly not worried about our ability to handle the situation.

“There is a vaccine that is available that works against monkeypox and all the evidence is that it is spread through physical contact.

Mr Clarke added: “What I would say is that we are cautious, but we are certainly not in a position where I would worry the public that this is a repeat of Covid because it is certainly nowhere near the same platform seems serious.”

Joe Biden also said that the smallpox vaccine works for monkeypox.

Asked if the US has enough stocks of this vaccine to handle the spread of monkeypox, the US President said, “I think we have enough to deal with the likelihood of a problem.”

The US President has tried to allay concerns about recent cases of monkeypox around the world.

Joe Biden said over the weekend the virus is something “to be concerned about.”

He has now clarified: “I just don’t think it reaches the level of concern that there was with Covid-19.”

Here’s a quick reminder of what we know about monkeypox so far: