British holidaymaker on Canary Islands being tested for monkeypox

A BRITISH tourist on the Canary Island of Fuenteventura is being tested for monkeypox.

Health chiefs in the region confirmed the holidaymaker was one of five suspected new cases currently being analysed.

The age of the unnamed man, thought to be the first British tourist in Spain affected since the country announced its first cases last week, has not been revealed.

Authorities have not said if he is holidaying alone or with relatives who are also being tested.

Spain, one of the worst affected countries, has so far confirmed around 40 cases and said another 67 people are being tested.

Outbreaks there have been traced to a gay sauna in Madrid and a Gran Canaria pride festival attended by 80,000 people from Britain and other European countries.

Official cases have been recorded in around 12 countries so far, with those in the UK more than doubling to 57 in figures released by the UK Health Security Agency yesterday.

Health officials said that while the outbreak is “significant and concerning”, the risk to the UK population remains low.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “So far the consequences don’t seem to be very serious, but it’s important that we keep an eye on it.”

Smallpox vaccines, which offer protection against monkeypox, are being made available to close contacts of people with the disease. But the PM’s spokesman said there were no plans for an “at-scale” jabs programme.

Monkeypox is usually found in west Africa, and does not often spread elsewhere. Sir Jeremy Farrar, an expert in infectious diseases, said so-called superspreader events were likely to be behind the rise in global cases.

Professor Kevin Fenton, London’s Director of Public Health, yesterday urged people to watch out for “unusual rashes or lesions” and to contact NHS 111 before going to hospital, GP surgery or other health setting.

He told The Standard: “Monkeypox cases are increasing in London and I’m expecting this to continue in the days ahead as awareness grows about symptoms and more cases are identified.

“The cases we are seeing in both the UK and Europe are predominantly in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, suggesting that transmission is taking place within sexual networks, so we are asking men from these communities to be particularly alert to the symptoms and to seek help immediately.”

He added: “The moneypox virus spreads through close contact and we are advising everyone to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions.”