Health clinics in the UK warn the government’s response to the monkeypox outbreak has been inadequate, and the spike in COVID-19 cases has made dealing with the outbreak even more difficult. The British Association of Sexual Health & HIV says the strategy of limiting the monkeypox vaccine to a small group of people is not the right approach, and that millions of pounds are needed to ensure that the monkeypox outbreak in the UK does not become endemic.
After suffering for several weeks from monkeypox, Harun Tulunay was finally allowed to return to his home in London.
Tulunay is one of nearly 1,800 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the UK.
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Tulunay, who works as a sexual health worker at Positively UK, is HIV positive. When he was first infected with the monkeypox virus, doctors thought his high fever might be related to his condition due to HIV. He was admitted to a hospital in London and then allowed to go home, but was asked to self-isolate. He was also given a medical test kit for monkeypox. When he was diagnosed positive for monkeypox, he was sent to the Royal Free Hospital in London, a special facility that has an infectious disease ward.
For 10 days Tulunay was not allowed to leave his room. Anything that enters the room is not allowed to come out again. It is separated from other patients and staff by two doors.
Tulunay said she had a rash, which doctors said was caused by a fever. Then some sores appear, which is a classic symptom of monkeypox.
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“I had rashes all over my body, but again the doctor said this rash was due to a high fever. As my fever reached 39 degrees Celsius, I had rashes on my feet, hands, chest and throat. Everything is like half white, half red. When I looked in the mirror, I could see that my entire throat was all white. It looks like it’s covered in a new scar and it’s stuck in my throat, I can’t even spit and it hurts so much.”
“There were also wounds on my nose. I didn’t have these injuries until when I was admitted to the hospital and started taking antibiotics and paracetamol. I think it was a few days after that I had injuries to my hands and feet,” Tulunay continued. .
Tulunay said hospital staff did not tell him why his symptoms were so severe, but that there were several other monkeypox patients being treated at the hospital.
“No one has spoken to me directly about this wound, about how severe my symptoms are or whether there are other patients with symptoms as severe as mine. I know there are other cases of monkeypox. I know this isn’t the first time the medics have seen cases of monkeypox. But I don’t know if there are other cases of monkeypox that are as serious as mine,” he explained.
Monkeypox Vaccination
While in the hospital and also in isolation at home, Tulunay communicates with people through social media. He says he has been trying to explain his experiences and symptoms to people all over the world, many of whom are frustrated and confused as he is.
Tulunay said what was most confusing was the vaccination policy.
“I don’t know what the government or the authorities are waiting for? Since May 14, no steps have been taken. There is no vaccine stock provided for residents. Now they say a vaccine is available and handed over to the NHS. But when we go to the clinic, these medics say I can only be vaccinated if during the last three weeks I have traveled abroad. There are also medics who openly say there is no vaccine, or promise to call me if a vaccine is available. But still there is no plan and everything is going very slowly,” said Tulunay.
Misconceptions About Monkeypox
Members of the British Association of Sexual Health & HIV (BASHH), a coalition of experts on sexual health and public health, supported Tulunay’s call. Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it seems so. A number of sexual health clinics are usually the first to identify the symptoms.
Over the past two weeks cases of monkeypox have spread throughout Europe. The World Health Organization warns that there is no room for complacency.
Monkeypox vaccination is now being offered in a number of communities in the UK, but what is worrying is that this vaccination offer is not fast enough.
BASHH says modeling shows in the current monkeypox outbreak, cases double every 15 days. BASHH insists urgent action is needed to prevent monkeypox in the UK from becoming endemic, and the way to do that is through a vaccination program for gay and bisexual men.
Immediate Efforts Needed To Prevent The Widespread Spread Of Smallpox
Head of BASHH Dr. Claire Dewsnap, who is also a specialist who diagnoses and treats patients with sexually transmitted diseases – including HIV – said concerns about the monkeypox virus becoming endemic were serious.
“This means human-to-human transmission can occur across populations, and we cannot completely eradicate this. That is why we issue a joint consensus with our partners in the public health sector and community groups and volunteers. We think it’s time to really redouble our efforts because there is still a potential opportunity to completely eradicate human-to-human transmission in the UK.”
He added, the UK needs 3-4 times as many vaccines that currently exist.
Vaccination and Vaccine Distribution
So far the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has purchased 30,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine, while another 90,000 have been imported from a Danish drugmaker, in recent months. In fact, said Dewsnap, this vaccine is needed now.
“I mean, we need that vaccine right now. If we needed 120,000 vaccines now, we probably wouldn’t have the chaos right now. How people question why they can’t access the vaccines they need. We don’t have that vaccine right now, and many clinics are getting very small doses of the vaccine. I think we should distribute the vaccine to clinics now, although I know there will be reluctance because big organizations don’t want to develop vaccines that nobody then uses. But we have been very clear in saying there will be huge demand and this is what is happening now,” said Dr. Claire Devsnap.
Another problem is how to distribute the monkeypox vaccine.
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Dewsnap and a number of doctors have experienced a spike in Covid-19 cases which has led to a shortage of human resources who must now be isolated, as well as a surge in patients being hospitalized.
Dewsnap, who works at a hospital in Sheffield, in the British Midlands, said at least £50m would be needed to contain the outbreak and add staff to launch a vaccine.
“I question the right strategy when it comes to vaccines. There was an initial strategy that we would vaccinate a very specific group of people and expand the vaccination strategy so that it could reach more gay and bisexual men, as well as those who had contact with the patient before he was diagnosed.”
BASHH said urgent action was needed to eradicate monkeypox in the UK, before it spread to others whose health is vulnerable, such as people who are immunosuppressed – or whose immune systems are weak – and children whose immune systems are not yet fully developed.
Doctors say symptoms in this vulnerable group can be much more severe.
After his infection and the dramatic symptoms that came with it, Tulunay is now awaiting a full recovery. [em/jm]
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