The Homecare Association, as part of the Care Provider Alliance, has been attending regular briefings with the relevant authorities about the need for specific guidance for social care providers on the Clade I mpox (monkeypox) outbreak.
This strain of mpox is more serious than Clade IIb and its lineages, which was implicated in the outbreak that started in mid-2022.
To date there have been no Clade I cases in the UK.
There has been no update on the returning workers guidance on the Clade I mpox. The High Consequences Infectious Disease guidance is the guidance to follow for the time being.
Adult Social Care providers who have concerns about the health and wellbeing of residents should use the usual routes of seeking medical advice through their GP or the NHS 111 helpline. Staff and visitors should do the same for themselves, and take the usual precautions set out in existing Infection Prevention and Control guidance if they are unwell.
The World Health Organisation’s has declared the mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, in response to a rising number of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in Africa, and in the UK, Clade 1 has been given the status of high consequence infectious disease (HCID).
The collection of UKHSA mpox guidance is available here: Mpox (monkeypox): guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We will keep members updated on the development of specific guidance.
