‘It takes 5 minutes’: Gay and bi men in London urged to get Monkeypox vaccine – My London

An LGBTQ+ activist is urging gay men in London to book a Monkeypox vaccine as cases of the disease continue to rise in the UK. Joey Knock, 32, an EDI Officer for a University in London, got his vaccine earlier this week, and is urging other gay and bisexual men in London to do the same.

On Tuesday (July 19) public health officials announced 100,000 more doses of the vaccine had been ordered, as the number of Monkeypox cases in the UK topped 2000. New figures released by the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Tuesday showed cases had risen to 2,050 in England. The majority of infections are focused in London, and are affecting men who have sex with men.

Joey said he has been paying close attention to the Monkeypox outbreak in the UK, and has acquaintances in London who have contracted “mild cases” of the infection. Joey explained: “I wasn’t scared, I was more worried about having to self-isolate for up to three weeks, whether you got it or whether you were a close contact.

“Lots of people are used to self-isolating now, but that sounded like a long time. I wasn’t scared about getting it, but I did pretty quickly change my sexual behaviour to limit my risk.” Joey said he found out the vaccine would be made available to gay and bi men from the Terrence Higgins Trust four weeks ago, and two weeks later had friends ” receiving texts to get their vaccine.”

READ MORE: Sadiq Khan’s warning after Monkeypox cases double in less than a week in London

While some sexual health clinics have contacted recent visitors to offer an appointment for the Monkeypox vaccine, others are offering walk-ins or pop-up vaccine centres. Joey advises calling a clinic directly to get the vaccine, which is thought to be around 85% effective against Monkeypox. He said it’s worth calling, as sometimes clinics only know their availability at the last minute.

Joey said he called a clinic in Hammersmith last week, and was able to get his vaccine within days, at a pop-up centre in the clinic on Sunday (July 17). “You get it in five minutes, then you sit there for 15 minutes, then you go home,” said Joey, “I was surprised how quick it was.” Joey suffered no after-effects from the Monkeypox jab aside from a “slight ache” in his arm, and is urging Londoners to get vaccinated.

Monkeypox, a usually relatively mild viral illnes is endemic in several countries in western and central Africa, has caused more than 5,000 cases and one death outside those areas – mainly in Europe – since early May, reports Reuters. Research published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal found the outbreak is presenting unusually.

As symptoms of the Monkeypox outbreak in Europe have differed from those in countries where monkeypox endemic, health experts are calling for case definitions to be reviewed so cases aren’t overlooked – particularly as Monkeypox can “mimic” other common sexually transmitted infections (STI) like herpes and syphilis.

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