The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox in England has risen by 104, official figures reveal, the largest reported increase so far.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the new cases bring the total identified in the UK, as of 12 June, to 470, with 452 in England, 12 in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and four in Wales.
The virus is typically found in central and western Africa. However, in recent weeks cases have been identified in myriad countries around the world where it is not endemic, with experts voicing concerns over the number of cases and evidence that it is spreading in the community.
At present it appears the outbreak involves the milder west African strain of monkeypox rather than the more serious Congo strain. However, while the virus is typically shrugged off by most people in a matter of weeks, people who have weakened immune systems, who are pregnant, or who are children are at greater risk from monkeypox.
The rise in confirmed cases in the England from 348 as of 9 June to 452 as of 12 June marks the largest uptick in cases in the country to date, with an average over the three-day period of almost 35 cases a day.
The UKHSA added that to date, the majority of cases had been in men who were gay, bisexual or had sex with men. However, the agency stressed that anyone could get monkeypox, noting it is spread by close contact.
On Friday the UKHSA released a technical document revealing that the outbreak was currently at the second of four levels of transmission, meaning spread of monkeypox was “within a defined sub-population with high number of close contacts”.
The report added that the majority of cases were in London and among men, with most cases identified in people who had not recently travelled to a country where monkeypox was endemic.
The UKHSA has continued to urge people to contact a sexual health clinic if they have a rash with blisters and have had close contact in the past three weeks with someone who either has or may have monkeypox. People with such a rash who have been to west or central Africa in the past three weeks should also contact a sexual health clinic, the agency advised.
Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said: “The public health teams in the UK and internationally have done an excellent job, not just with the contact tracing and reporting, but also with accurate and sensitive public health messaging. We don’t want any populations to feel stigmatised, but there is also an urgent need to raise awareness of signs of monkeypox among high-risk individuals, and to encourage early reporting of symptoms.”
