Tory government is ‘failing’ queer men as monkeypox cases surge, says gay MP

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Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has accused the government of “failing” on monkeypox.

UK monkeypox cases reached 2,137 on Monday (18 July). More than per cent of the 2,050 cases in England have been identified in London, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The government said on Tuesday (19 July) it had obtained more than 100,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine being used against monkeypox.

This came amid criticism of a slow roll-out for the vaccine, which is being offered to queer men (with eligibility based on a number of factors), people who might be exposed to monkeypox through work and those who have been exposed to the virus.

There are 18 sexual health clinics in London now offering the vaccine. They include 56 Dean Street in Soho, which received a visit from Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle on Wednesday.

Moyle said he was “shocked” by what he heard during the visit, and accused the government of “failing to act” while monkeypox “moves silently through the gay community”.

“The government’s response is inadequate and we need action now,” said the MP.

He went to detail some of the worst cases shared with him.

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“In worst 10 per cent, ulcers so bad in urethra patients weren’t able to pass urine, ulcers in throat which had burned through the oesophagus and ulcers in eyes that could blind without treatment,” he tweeted.

“Transmission is not like COVID and requires sustained skin-to-skin contact to contract it.”

Russell-Moyle warned that not only does the public have next to no knowledge of monkeypox, but neither do general practitioners (GPs). He called on public health officials to better educate the public and healthcare providers alike on what the signs of infection are.

“If we don’t get this under control it will spread more broadly into the general population,” he said.

While officials and some advocates do not believe monkeypox should be considered an STI, as it can be transmitted through non-sexual contact, Russell-Moyle believes it should be.

In lots it will be mild, with only a few small spots on skin or even a blister internally (unseen) but therein lies the infection risk.

GPs with little or no guidance and symptoms not updated for public too know what to look for: fever, unusual spots, pain in rectum or mouth. pic.twitter.com/mq5LaZUczW

— Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP