Gay and bisexual men have been urged to be on the lookout for ‘unusual rash’ after four men in the UK were diagnosed with monkeypox, bringing the total number of cases in the latest outbreak to seven.

According to health officials, all four new patients are gay or bisexual men who were infected in London and had no travel links to Africa, as reported by MailOnline earlier today.

Two of them are known to each other but have no ties to any of the previous cases, indicating that the virus is spreading in the community for the first time.

Nurses and doctors are being advised to be on the lookout for patients who have developed a new rash.

Monkeypox is frequently confused with more common rash illnesses such as chickenpox, measles, scabies, and syphilis, making early diagnosis difficult.

‘This is rare and unusual,’ said Dr. Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

‘The UKHSA is investigating the source of these infections as soon as possible because evidence suggests that the monkeypox virus may be transmitted in the community through close contact.’

‘We are especially urging gay and bisexual men to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service as soon as possible.’

The West African strain of the virus, which is thought to be milder than other strains, was found in all seven UK cases.

The UKHSA stated that the exact way the new patients contracted the infection “remains under urgent investigation.”

Kyle Dallape, a man, revealed how his ‘ordinary’ complaint of a sore throat turned out to be him being HIV positive.

Kyle Dallape, a marketing director from California, US, said on TikTok that he thought he had a sore throat but that there was nothing to worry about.

His doctor later diagnosed him with strep throat, a bacterial infection.

The 27-year-symptoms old’s began to worsen, with weight loss, oral thrush, and swollen lymph nodes, as well as the bacterial infection reappearing twice.

He realized something was wrong after losing 30 pounds.

He had been tested for HIV a few weeks before his initial diagnosis, and the results were negative, so he didn’t believe his symptoms were related.

He was diagnosed with the virus after additional testing in June 2018, which devastated him.

“My worst nightmare had come true,” Kyle said.

“My parents, friends, and now-fiancee were all crucial in getting me started on treatment and realizing that my life wasn’t over.”

“A month later, I began Biktarvy, a once-daily HIV treatment pill, and by November of that year, I had reached undetectable levels of the virus.”

“Since then, my T-cell count continues to rise and my viral load has been undetectable ever since.”

In a bid to spread awareness and break the stigma surrounding HIV, he decided to share his story on TikTok.

In a clip, which has received one million views and over 163,000 likes, Kyle talks about how he lost 30lbs and could barely walk before having further tests to find out what was wrong.

In a final clip, the word “HIV” is written in the centre of the screen surrounded by a dark background.

Kyle captioned the post: “Get tested regularly and ask your partners what their status is! Knowledge is power.”

Kyle added: “HIV is not what it used to be, as modern medicine has come so far – but society has quite a way to catch up.

“I hope that by putting a face to this, I can show how manageable this disease can be and that those who are positive, can live long and healthy lives with treatment.

“It’s time for the stigma to end.”

A 34-year-old man is said to have died in his girlfriend’s room in Asawase, Ashanti Region’s Asokore Mampong Municipality.

Felix Arkoh had gone to his girlfriend’s house on Saturday with the intention of spending the night.

According to Matthew Amissah, an Assemblymember from the area, the two had dinner and went to bed, only for his lifeless body to be discovered the next morning by his girlfriend.

Asawase Police have since taken the body to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Abena Boatemah, the deceased’s girlfriend, was also arrested by Asawase police to assist with the investigation.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s elder brother, Spio Hammond, spoke to Class FM in Accra and urged the police to expedite the investigation into their relative’s death.