'So the speed in which we see people is really critical and monkeypox coming along shows us that more than ever before.
'We used to be able to see people within 48 hours of them contacting us - that's really important because it cuts down the window where people have an infection, they don't know they have an infection and therefore they can pass it on to the people. 'And that has seen a direct effect on staffing level and that means we have less capacity to see people. She told BBC Breakfast: 'Over the last 10 years, there's been a significant decrease in funding through the public health budget. 'But I am concerned about our ability to maintain good sexual health services and access for everyone while still managing this new infection.'ĭr Dewsnap also called for 'adequate funding' for sexual health services.
'In terms of the infection and its consequences for individuals, I'm not that concerned,' she later told BBC Radio 4. 'It is already stretching the workforce and will have a massive impact if staff have to isolate if they are in close contact with someone who's infected,' Dr Dewsnap said.
She told the BBC that clinic staff were 'already under significant pressure' before monkeypox was identified, making the situation worse. The virus is more common to west and central Africa but the number of cases confirmed in Britain has hit 20, with nine other countries including Spain, Portugal and Canada also reporting outbreaks.ĭr Dewsnap said she is concerned about how the infection could affect services because staff who come in contact with sufferers are forced to isolate. The UK Health Security Agency has said a notable proportion of recent cases in Britain and Europe have been found in gay and bisexual men. She also warned that the virus could have a 'massive impact' on access to sexual health services in Britain. It could be really significant numbers over the next two or three weeks.' 'It's already circulating in the general population. 'What worries me the most is there are infections across Europe, so this has already spread,' she said. She told Sky News that she expects a 'significant' rise in infections next week. It was attended by people who have tested positive for the monekypox virus afterwards, with public health services from the Canary Islands now investigating the any links between the cases and the LGBT+ celebrations. Pictured, attendees at the event this monthĭr Claire Dewsnap, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, is worried about the rate the virus is spreading. The disease, which was first found in monkeys, can be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact - as well as sexual intercourse - and is caused by the monkeypox virus. All three Italian men with the virus are unknown to each other.Įarlier today, a top British doctor has predicted a 'significant rise' in monkeypox cases in the UK in the next few weeks, as the country recorded 20 cases - and more than 100 found in Europe. The development came after it emerged Spanish authorities are also investigating confirmed cases of monkeypox that have been linked to a 'sauna' - which in Spain is used to describe establishments popular with gay men looking for sex rather than just a bathhouse.Ī spokesperson for the department confirmed that one of the Italian men who has the virus was in the Canary Islands, but denied knowing if the man from Tenerife had travelled there, according to a report from the Spanish news website.Ī second Italian man who was also in the Canary Islands contracted the virus. There is no conclusive evidence that the latest outbreak is being sexually transmitted, rather than simply being passed between people who were in close proximity to each other, experts said.Īs such gay men are not believed to be more likely to contract the disease, however are potentially more likely to have been exposed to it due to the known incidences being at events and locations that attracted large numbers of people from across the LGBT+ community. There are two suspected cases in men in the Canary Islands, one with links to the LGBT+ festival. Pictured, attendees at the event this month The Gran Canarian pride festival attended by 80,000 from Britain and across Europe is being investigated after being linked to numerous monkeypox cases in Madrid, Italy and Tenerife.