Mpox (monkeypox)

You should:

• not go to work, school, public areas, or any social gatherings
• not have any visitors such as friends or family
• stay 3 steps (1 metre) away from people you live with if you use your garden
• postpone any non-essential medical or dental treatment
• if you need any essential treatment, discuss this with your healthcare professional before you go
• only leave your home for essential purposes such as emergencies, urgent medical appointments, or for urgent health and wellbeing issues

People who live in the same household as someone with mpox are at the highest risk of becoming infected. This is because they are most likely to have close contact over a period of time. If you live with other people, they'll have been advised to isolate at home too and will be given further advice.

You should:

• avoid physical contact with people you live with
• keep at least 3 steps (1 metre) away from people you live with
• avoid intimate and sexual contact with others
• avoid close contact with young children, pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system – this is particularly important as they may be at higher risk of serious illness
• sleep in a separate room if you can
• use separate bedding, blankets and pillows from other people in your home
• use a separate bathroom if you can
• follow advice for cleaning
• use separate towels, washcloths, toothbrushes and razors
• eat in a separate room
• ask the people you live with to bring your meals to you
• do not share food and drinks
• use separate cups, utensils and dishes from other people in your home
• clean your hands regularly by washing with soap and water for 20 seconds – take care if you have extensive or ulcerated blisters or a rash on your hands

Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of them in a bag. Place this bag in another bag and follow the instructions for disposing of waste. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds.

If you are not able to follow this advice at any time during your self-isolation period, you should speak to your doctor or healthcare specialist.

Make sure any blisters or rash on your body is completely covered. For example, by wearing a long-sleeved top and full-length trousers.

Wear a well-fitting surgical face mask or a double-layered face covering while you're outside your home.

Keep the time spent outside your home as short as possible.

Avoid contact with objects such as furniture in public spaces.

If you need to travel for essential purposes you should walk, cycle or drive yourself. If this is not possible, you can be driven by a household member as long as they are not pregnant or have a weakened immune system. You should wear a well-fitting surgical face mask or double-layered face covering while in the car.

If private transport is not available, public transport can be used. You should avoid busy periods. Cover any blisters or rash with cloth. For example using scarfs or bandages. Wear a well-fitting surgical face mask or double-layered face covering.

Ask friends or relatives to help with buying groceries, other essentials or collecting medication, or order them online. Friends, relatives and delivery drivers should leave items outside your home and should not come inside. They should not touch anything that you have touched.

Clean your own used crockery and cutlery. If you have one, use a dishwasher to clean and dry these items. Otherwise, wash your own crockery and cutlery using your usual washing up liquid and warm water and leave them to air dry.

If you have blisters or rash on your hands, wear single-use disposable gloves or reusable washing up gloves while washing up. Any reusable gloves should not be shared. They should be binned at the end of your isolation period.

You should do your own laundry. Keep your laundry items separate from the rest of the household’s laundry. Wash them using your normal detergent, following manufacturer’s instructions.

If possible, use the highest temperature which the items can withstand.

Do not overload the washing machine – aim for half or two-thirds full. Avoid shorter 'economy cycles' (those which reduce water and save energy) until you have fully recovered.

When you're taking laundry to the washing machine, avoid shaking the laundry. This could spread virus particles into the air and onto surfaces in your home.

If you're carrying dirty laundry from one room to another you can place it in a large plastic bag or a container then take it straight to the washing machine.

If you do not have a washing machine, you can hand-wash your laundry using warm water and your normal detergent. This might be more effective in a large sink or bathtub.

Clean all surfaces when you have finished.

You should regularly clean surfaces that you touch often. For example, door handles and light switches. Use a damp cloth to prevent dust from gathering on surfaces, especially in your bedroom.

Use your usual household cleaning products, such as detergents and bleach.

Take extra care if using bleach to clean surfaces. You should:

• always follow the manufacturer’s instruction for diluting disinfectants
• protect your eyes
• thoroughly rinse the disinfectant off every surface once you have finished

If you have to travel in a car with someone else, or have driven yourself alone in a car you normally share, wipe down all hard surfaces after the journey. You should do this using a standard detergent or detergent wipes. You should also wear gloves and a well-fitting surgical face mask or double-layered face covering.

Waste should be double bagged and disposed of following waste disposal advice.

Put personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths in disposable rubbish bags.

Vacuum cleaner waste should be emptied carefully into a disposable rubbish bag. This includes disposable filters if your vacuum cleaner has one.

Put all disposable rubbish bags into a second disposable bag. Tie it securely before binning with your usual waste.

You should not put any waste into recycling bins until you have ended your self-isolation.

No cases of mpox have been reported in wild animals or pets in the UK. But it is possible that pets could become infected or contaminated with the virus through close contact with an infected person. They could then transmit the virus to others.

If you have pets you should avoid close contact with them as much as you can and practice good hygiene.

If you have pets you should read and follow the guidance for pet owners who are isolating because of mpox from the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Do not let pets sleep in the bed with you.

Wash your hands before and after handling pets or materials they have had contact with. For example, collars, leads, feed and feeding bowls, litter trays, bedding and toys.

Your pets should remain in the house with you but you may let them out to go to the toilet on a lead. Keep a 1 metre distance from other people and animals. Going outside should be kept to an absolute minimum while you're isolating.

If your pet needs veterinary care while you're isolating at home, do not take your pet to your usual veterinary practice. Phone them in advance to ask their advice. You may have to ask someone else to take your pet to the surgery for you.

You should self-isolate at home until:

• you have not had a high temperature for at least 72 hours
• you have had no new blisters in the previous 48 hours
• all your blisters have scabbed over
• you have no blisters or ulcers in your mouth
• any blisters on your face, arms and hands have scabbed over, all the scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath

If you meet all of these points, you may be able to stop self-isolating. But, you should speak to your doctor or healthcare specialist first to discuss this. You should continue to avoid close contact with young children, pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system until the scabs on all your blisters have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath. This is because you may still be infectious until the scabs have fallen off.

After your self-isolation has ended you should cover any remaining blisters when leaving the house or having close contact with people in your household until all the scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath.

While you're self-isolating, you should refrain from sexual activity to reduce the risk of infection to your partner. It's not known how long mpox virus remains present in semen and other genital fluid.

If you wish to resume sexual activity after your self-isolation has ended, you should use a condom for 12 weeks after your rash has scabbed over and scabs have fallen off. This is a precaution to reduce the risk of infection to your partner.

Staying at home for a period of time can be difficult, frustrating and lonely for some people. You or other household members may feel low. It can be more difficult if you don’t have much space or a garden.

You should take care of your mind as well as your body and get support if you need it. Stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media.

Waverly Care offer one to one mental health and wellbeing support to people with mpox who are isolating, via video or phone calls. Anybody who would like this support should fill in the 'Looking for support' online form.

Read further advice on mental wellbeing