A study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal stated that the monkeypox symptoms found in patients in the UK are different from the outbreaks that happened previously around the world. The researchers looked at fifty-four patients who attended sexual health clinics in London and were diagnosed with monkeypox. The study was conducted for a 12-day period in May 2022. 

The findings showed that the patients in this group had skin lesions in the genital and anal area and a lower prevalence of tiredness and fever than the patients in the previous outbreak. Based on these findings the researchers suggest that the probable cases of Monkeypox should be reviewed to help identify new cases. 

Many countries around the world including the UK are seeing a rise in the number of cases of Monkeypox. The researchers have called for additional  resources to manage this condition.

Nicolo Girometti, from the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said “Monkeypox is a novel diagnosis within the sexual health setting and our study, the first to publish on cases from this UK outbreak, will support future case finding and clinical care”.

The researchers have also collected data from monkeypox patients from around four health centers in London, UK. A laboratory test using RT-PCR is only considered the confirmed test for a patient with Monkeypox. They have also collected individual patients’ travel history, sexual history, and clinical symptoms. 54 patients observed in this 12-day study represent sixty percent of the cases reported. All the individuals diagnosed with Monkeypox had been advised strict isolation measures and were assessed with telephone welfare checks. Among all the patients diagnosed with this disease, two of them were not aware of having been in contact with a known case and none reported travel to sub-Saharan Africa but might have visited the European countries. The patients had mild fever and recovered mostly staying in isolation but five among them had to be hospitalized because of pain in the skin lesion.