Harun Tulunay

A LACK of government support is forcing people with monkeypox to go to work, a patient who has recovered from the virus warned this week.

Harun Tulunay, who lives near Old Street and works for Holloway-based HIV charity Positively UK, said changes were urgently needed. He was diagnosed in June with monkeypox, a condition caused by a virus similar to smallpox with symptoms including swollen glands and a rash of raised and fluid-filled blisters.

Mr Tulunay said: “I was lucky. Because I work in the health sector they were very understanding.

“But people working in [jobs like] retail are hiding their lesions because they’re afraid to lose their jobs. Because of the stigma attached, they are afraid to tell their bosses. We need financial support and relief and legal protection for those diagnosed who need to isolate.”

Monkeypox is most commonly spread by close physical contact with infected people, or by sharing their clothing or bedding. According to Mr Tulunay, the disease is most common among men who have sex with men because “it is a very small community, so the spread is very speedy”.

The government is currently trialling “mini doses” of the jab to make low supplies last longer.

While the data suggests monkeypox is currently most prevalent among men who have sex with men in the UK, Mr Tulunay said it was important to stress that anyone can contract the virus.

“This is not a gay-related illness,” he said. “Anybody can catch it. We can’t ignore the fact that in Spain, women and children are catching it. My symptoms weren’t usual and it started with fever and swollen glands,” he said.

Mr Tulunay didn’t develop the tell-tale bumps until much later. In the intervening time, he visited A&E but the swellings in his throat were misdiagnosed as tonsillitis and he was sent away.

A single blister developed on his nose, but doctors initially told Mr Tulunay this was unrelated to monkeypox.

Mr Tulunay was still suffering three weeks after developing his first symptoms. “My throat was shut, I couldn’t swallow or eat,” he said. At this stage, he was admitted to Homerton Hospital.

A few days later, he tested positive for monkeypox and was transferred to the Royal Free.

He spent 10 days in hospital before being discharged, where he isolated at home for a further two weeks, until all his scabs were healed.

Highbury Councillor Benali Hamdache recently added his name to a letter signed by over 100 LGBT+ politicians calling on the health secretary to take action.

“I think right now with monkeypox we are sleepwalking into a public health crisis,” said Cllr Hamdache. “With the scarcity of vaccines, the lack of financial support for people who are isolating, and the lack of public health information, we have a government who isn’t waking up.”

“I am someone who wanted to get a vaccine but can’t get one currently. We need a proper plan from the government: we need Steve Barclay to wake up. It’s really hard to get any sense of direction from this government. It feels like they haven’t learned any lessons from Covid.”