Further monkeypox case in Scotland as medics seek to eradicate disease

A further case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Scotland as public health teams enact plan to eradicate the disease.

The latest update brings the total to five – nine days after the first Scottish case was identified.

Close contacts of the cases are being identified, traced and provided with health information, advice and, where appropriate, a vaccine – Public Health Scotland said.

The five people with monkeypox are receiving care and treatment “appropriate to their condition in line with nationally agreed protocols and guidance”.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is working on the development of specific monkeypox guidance for Scotland.

The UK’s four public health agencies have set out their strategy to deal with the outbreak that has seen at least 191 people infected across the country.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), PHS, Public Health Wales and Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, are working to suppress the spread of monkeypox in the community and aim to eradicate it by targeting resources at the highest risks to transmission.

The agencies also set out their aims to protect against spread of infection in hospitals and healthcare settings, to healthcare workers assessing and managing patients, and to enable safe functioning of the NHS, including services which can diagnose and manage cases.

To find out more, STV News explains how can you catch monkeypox and what the symptoms are, and asked a diseases expert to answer your questions.

Principles for monkeypox control in the UK

UKHSA, PHS and the public health agencies of Wales and Northern Ireland have agreed on the following “strategic aims”:

to suppress the transmission of monkeypox in the community and aim for eradication (decreasing Rt below 1) by targeting public health measures to the highest risks for transmission
to protect against spread of infection in hospitals and healthcare settings and to healthcare workers assessing and managing patients
to enable safe functioning of NHS services, including those services which can diagnose and manage cases, in the context of community transmission of monkeypox