Mpox Sheffield: Vaccination site opens in city after new strain of deadly disease detected in England

The vaccination site at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, on Glossop Road, Sheffield, is one of 12 new mpox vaccination sites which have opened across England.

NHS England said this meant every area in the country is now able to offer jabs to those at a higher risk of getting the infection, such as men who have sex with other men and have multiple partners.

Previously, vaccines were only available to eligible people at 19 sites across London, Brighton in East Sussex, and Manchester.

The new sites have opened after the first case of clade 1b mpox, which is different from the strain that has been circulating at low levels in the UK since 2022, was detected in England in October.

A month earlier, the Government announced it had ordered more doses of an mpox vaccine to bolster the country’s resilience against the virus.

Health bosses said that cases of clade 1b mpox remained low but had not gone away and that vaccination ‘plays a key part in our defences’.

Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccination and screening, said: “The NHS is fully prepared to respond to mpox and the latest cases of clade 1b, with local services pulling out all the stops to vaccinate those eligible since it first became present in England, and tens of thousands in priority groups already coming forward and getting protected.

“While the risk to the public remains low, it is important that eligible people across England are able to access mpox vaccines easily, which is why we are now offering the jabs at even more sites across the country in line with supply.

“So, if you meet the eligibility criteria please come forward and get protected, simply search on the NHS website to find the vaccination site closest to you.”

What are the symptoms of mpox and how does it spread?

Symptoms of mpox include skin rash with blisters, spots or ulcers that can appear anywhere on the body, as well as fever, headache, backache and muscle aches.

A rash usually appears one to five days after a fever, headache and other symptoms.

Mpox spreads between people through direct contact with rashes, skin lesions or scabs caused by the virus, including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or other skin-to-skin contact.

There is also a risk from contact with bodily fluids such as saliva or snot; contact with bedding or towels or clothing; and a possibility of spread through close and prolonged face-to-face contact such as talking, breathing, coughing, or sneezing.

What is mpox and how common is it in the UK?

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a rare infection most commonly found in parts of central and east Africa, with the risk of catching it in the UK being low for most people.

The NHS says there have been a small number of mpox cases in the UK since 2022, most of the milder clade 2 strain. Cases of the potentially more serious clade 1 strain are very rare in the UK.

Mpox is usually mild and can get better within a few weeks without treatment.

But if the symptoms are more severe, patients may need treatment in hospital, with older people, young children and those with a condition or who are taking a medience which affects their immune system being at greatest risk of requiring hospital treatment.

To find your nearest mpox vaccination site, and to book an appointment, visit: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-monkeypox-vaccination-site.