With the smallpox outbreak continuing in the UK, some of those affected have expressed concern about delays and difficulties in tracking contacts and vaccination.
Joel * told the Guardian that he had sought advice on testing and vaccinations after learning that close contact had been exposed to the monkey’s smallpox and had developed symptoms. However, Joel said he had difficulty accessing the tests in London during the jubilee holiday and was turned down by a vaccine, initially told he was only available for medical staff.
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) later confirmed that Joel was in close contact with a case of smallpox smallpox and was told that he should have been offered the vaccine. However, the delay meant that he was no longer eligible for the jab. Current guidelines suggest that the vaccine should ideally be given within four days of exposure to prevent or reduce the impact of the infection, although it can be given to people at high risk up to 14 days later. of exposure to reduce symptoms.
Joel said the process had caused him anxiety, noting that a concern in the community was whether the smallpox of the monkey could leave those infected with permanent scars, adding that with LGBT events involving anonymous sex going on, it seemed the monkey’s smallpox is likely to continue to spread. “It has taken so long [public health bodies] trace [close contacts] that many at-risk groups will have to come out and vaccinate effectively and proactively to stop it, “he said.
Joel said he was initially told to be isolated for 21 days, but was unable to do so for financial and mental health reasons, and noted that he was self-employed and did not want to be self-employed. people he worked with knew he was bisexual. He then tested positive for monkeypox and was asked to isolate himself until all the crusts fell off.
According to the UKHSA, individuals who have been tested are usually informed of their outcome within 24 hours, with contacts identified and followed up as soon as possible, and vaccination is offered if necessary. However, the same agency has set challenges, “as most cases reported having sex with new or casual partners, sometimes in the context of cruise areas or during chemical sex, often where data from contact were not available for location “.
Matt *, who also lives in London, said he had had sex with a man who later contacted him to tell him that he was experiencing symptoms and that he had been in contact with a confirmed case. When Matt called 111, he was advised to isolate himself for 21 days, but was not offered a vaccine because his contact had yet to be tested and confirmed as such.
“Desperate” to get the vaccine before it potentially began to experience severe symptoms, he told a contact tracker that he had been in contact with the confirmed case and that he was vaccinated five days after the sexual encounter.
When he was tested three days later, he had five injuries. “The doctor said he had one of the mildest cases I’ve ever seen, and when I said he had the vaccine, he said it was probably because of that,” Matt said.
But while he did not criticize the response from healthcare staff, who said he was “doing his best with a limited number of doses”, he said he thought the UKHSA’s public message about the disease needed to change.
“They don’t seem to mind how quickly it can spread to gay men’s networks where people have lots and lots of sexual partners,” she said.
Adding that before becoming infected he could have up to 20 sexual partners a week, Matt noted that within spaces like saunas or “cruise bars” few people exchange details.
“If you talk too much to people, they’ll just ignore it. But one thing they might say is that if you keep having sex with a lot of people, get their phone number so that one of you can contact the other,” he said. “It’s a short-term change that seems to make a lot of sense.”
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The UKHSA told the Guardian that in addition to compulsory sick pay, in special circumstances, local authorities may grant discretionary payments to those who are isolated to mitigate community transmission of a high-consequence infectious disease.
The agency said the vaccines were offered on a case-by-case basis.
A UKHSA spokesman said: “Whether or not to offer a vaccine to a close contact in a confirmed case of smallpox is a clinical decision made by trained health care teams who conduct detailed assessments of “This includes the specific details of the exposure and the level of risk of the individual. Currently, the Imvanex vaccine is only offered to close contacts with the highest risk exposure, and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.”
* Some names have been changed.