Belgium has become the first country to impose a mandatory 21-day monkeypox quarantine – as 14 countries confirm outbreaks of the viral disease and doctors warn of a ‘significant increase’ in cases in the UK
Belgian health authorities said those who contract the virus must now isolate themselves for three weeks after three cases were recorded in the country.
All the infections have been linked to a festival in Antwerp, the first of which was reported on Friday.
Doctors have warned that the UK faces a ‘significant’ rise in infections, and the government’s response is ‘critical’ to contain the spread.
The president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, Claire Dewsnap, said that the outbreak could have a ‘massive impact’ on access to sexual health services in Britain.
Meanwhile, Dr Susan Hopkins, a chief medical adviser to the UK Health Security Agency, today warned that monkeypox is spreading through community transmission in the UK, with more cases being detected every day.
Viral infections can be transmitted through very close contact with an infected person, which is common in tropical areas of west and central Africa.
Most patients recover without treatment within a few weeks.
One in 100 infected with the strain causing the current outbreak will die from the disease.
The disease, which first appeared in monkeys, can be transmitted from person to person through physical contact as well as sexual contact, and is caused by the monkeypox virus.
