London, May 17 (IANS): The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected four additional cases of monkeypox in gay, bisexual men, taking the total number to seven in the country.
The four new cases - three in London and one linked case in the north east of England - do not have known connections with the previous confirmed cases, although two are known to each other, signalling that the virus could be spreading in the community for the first time.
All the four cases who self-identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM), appear to have been infected in London and had no travel history to Africa, where monkeypox is known to be endemic, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
"This is rare and unusual. UKHSA is rapidly investigating the source of these infections because the evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox virus in the community, spread by close contact," said Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser, UKHSA, in a statement.
The patients needing medical care are all in specialist infectious disease units at the Royal Free Hospital, Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne and Guys' and St Thomas.
The individuals have the West African strain of the virus, which is mild compared to the Central African strain.
The UKHSA officials advised nurses and doctors to stay 'alert' to patients who present with a new rash.
"We are particularly urging men who are gay and bisexual to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service without delay," Hopkins said.
Monkeypox is a viral infection usually associated with travel to West Africa. It is usually a mild self-limiting illness, spread by very close contact with someone with monkeypox and most people recover within a few weeks.
Initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body including the genitals.
The rash changes and goes through different stages, and can look like chickenpox or syphilis, before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.