Monkeypox outbreak: Covid-like tracker made to monitor spread as 90 cases hit UK

UK health officials are reportedly working on a Covid-like dashboard to update the public on monkeypox cases and monitor the virus

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Monkey Pox: Dr. Chris outlines the main symptoms

A Covid-like tracker is being developed to monitor the spread of monkeypox – as 90 cases have now been confirmed in the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency has already issued daily updates on the number of cases through press releases.

However, UK health officials are reportedly now working on a Covid-like dashboard to keep the public updated on new cases, according to The Express.

It took health authorities several weeks to develop the Covid dashboard, which was launched in spring 2020.

The virus was already circulating nationwide when the dashboard was launched.

However, the Covid dashboard has been an essential part of the UK’s response to the pandemic as it can help monitor and track the virus across the country.

A monkeypox tracking dashboard was quickly set up by the UKHSA to investigate the virus and update the public on rising cases.

In the coming days, health officials will issue official guidance on what to do if people develop symptoms of monkeypox and think they have been exposed to the virus.

Monkeypox is typically found in central and western Africa and can be transmitted through contact and droplet exposure via large exhaled droplets.

People who are currently infected are being quarantined either at home or in a specialist infectious disease ward in a hospital after a PCR test confirms the infection.

Health officials then track down close contacts and offer them vaccinations, which can prevent infection if given a few days after exposure.

The UK currently has about 23,000 doses of the Bavarian Nordic Imvanex spritzer, which is specifically designed to combat smallpox but has also been shown to be effective against monkeypox.

Each dose of the vaccine costs around £5, with a total of two doses required four weeks apart to ensure maximum protection.

The vaccine must be given soon after exposure to the virus to change the infection.

Because monkeypox has a three-week incubation period, the vaccine is ineffective if a person is symptomatic.

Health officials believe the best way to treat the virus is to vaccinate the close contacts of people who have tested positive for monkeypox.