Sadiq Khan has urged action after 71% of recent monkey pox cases were reported in London.
The city’s mayor says he is “deeply concerned” about the sudden increase.
There have been 1,735 confirmed cases of monkey pox in the UK between 6 May and 11 July this year.
The majority, 1,229, were Londoners, according to figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
This compares to just seven cases registered in the UK between 2018 and 2021.
Mr Khan wrote to the recently appointed Health Minister, Steve Barclayurges the government to take action.
This follows calls from charities including the National Aids Trust and the Terrence Higgins Trust for the NHS and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to fight the outbreak as soon as possible.
Mr Khan said: ‘London currently has the highest number of infections and I am deeply concerned that the number of monkey pox cases reported has doubled in less than a week.
“If we have learned anything from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that early action and coordination are vital to leading the way.
“The government needs to act quickly to ensure that there is a coordinated and well-equipped approach to address the threat that monkeypox now faces.”
According to the UKHSA, the majority of people affected by the virus during this year’s outbreak were men, at 99.4%.
For confirmed cases where gender information was available, 1,633 were males and only 10 females.
Monkeypox is related to smallpox and cases are usually found in West and Central Africa, with the virus not often spreading elsewhere.
The disease, which was first discovered in monkeys, is usually mild, but can cause serious illness in some cases.
Most patients experience fever, body aches, chills, and fatigue, but some may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.
What are the symptoms of monkey pox?
- A fever
- Headache
- Muscle pain and back pain
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- exhaustion
- A rash that may look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, mouth, and other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus
The DHSC said it urges people to watch out for new sores or blisters, especially if they’ve been in close contact with a new partner.
A spokesperson for the department said: ‘The UKHSA is asking people to be alert to any new spots, sores or blisters on any part of their body, especially if they have been in close contact with a new partner.
“If people think they have these symptoms, they should avoid close contact with others and call NHS 111 or their local sexual health center – but they are encouraged to call ahead before coming.”
Previously, experts warned that monkey pox can mutate at an abnormally fast rate.
The virus has replicated up to 12 times faster than expected since 2018.
dr. Sophia Makki, incident director at UKHSA, previously warned when there were more than 1,000 cases.
She urged people to be alert for monkeypox symptoms, including fever, headache and rash.
The health expert advised: ‘If you’re attending major events or having sex with new partners in the summer, be alert for monkey pox symptoms so you can get tested quickly and avoid passing on the infection.
‘At the moment, most of these are men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men. But anyone who has had close contact with a person with symptoms is also at increased risk.’
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