The number of suspected monkeypox cases being reported across England continues to increase.
In the week ending July 3, 38 cases were reported in England. That was on top of 32 cases the week before, and 20 cases the week before that.
Since June 8, GPs and other doctors have been required to report any suspected cases of monkeypox they see, and laboratories must also report if the virus is identified in a laboratory sample.
This is because monkeypox was added to the list of notifiable diseases by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). These are infectious diseases, such as measles, scarlet fever, and whooping cough, which have to be reported to local authorities or local Health Protection Teams.
The figures for suspected cases reported locally are much lower than the number of cases confirmed by the UKHSA - meaning there may be more cases in these areas. Numbers may be lower because confirmed cases have not also been reported as suspected cases.
Where have suspected monkeypox cases been reported
| Area | Week ending May 22 | Week ending May 29 | Week ending June 5 | Week ending June 12 | Week ending June 19 | Week ending June 26 | Week ending July 3 | TOTAL |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Bedford | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Blackburn | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Blackpool | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| Brighton and Hove | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Bristol | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Bromley | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Bury | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Central Bedfordshire | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Cheshire West and Chester | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Chorley | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Croydon | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| East Cambridgeshire | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Enfield | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Epping Forest | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Gedling | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Halton | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Horsham | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Kingston upon Thames | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Leeds | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Leicester | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Lewisham | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Liverpool | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||
| Maidstone | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Manchester | 2 | 5 | 9 | 16 | ||||
| Medway Towns | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Mid Suffolk | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Middlesbrough | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Newark and Sherwood | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Newham | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| North Lincolnshire | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Northampton | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Norwich | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Oldham | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Peterborough | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Portsmouth | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Reigate and Banstead | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Salford | 3 | 5 | 8 | |||||
| Sheffield | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| South Holland | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| South Ribble | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| South Tyneside | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Southwark | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| St Helens | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Stockport | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Sutton | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Tameside | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Tamworth | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Thanet | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||
| Thurrock | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Torbay | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Tower Hamlets | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Wellingborough | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| West Somerset | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Wigan | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Wirral | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Woking | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Wokingham | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Wycombe | 1 | 1 |
As of July 7, there were 1,552 laboratory confirmed cases in the UK. Of these, 41 were in Scotland, 11 were in Northern Ireland, 18 were in Wales and 1,482 were in England.
Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at UKHSA, said: “While anyone can catch monkeypox, the majority of monkeypox cases in the UK continue to be in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM), with the infection being passed on mainly through close contact between people in interconnected sexual networks.
“Before you go to a party or event, check yourself for monkeypox symptoms, including rashes and blisters. If you have monkeypox symptoms, take a break from attending events or sex until you’ve called 111 or a sexual health service and been assessed by a clinician. It can take up to 3 weeks for symptoms to appear after being in contact with someone with monkeypox, so stay alert for symptoms after you have skin to skin or sexual contact with someone new.”
As of July 2022, the current outbreak of monkeypox in the UK is no longer classified as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID). This is following review by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) and agreement by public health agencies across the four UK nations.
This does not alter the public health response or measures taken to control monkeypox, but relates to which clinical pathways are used in the NHS. This decision has been taken because the current outbreak does not meet the criteria for a high consequence infectious disease, which is defined as having a high mortality rate and a lack of available interventions.
The UKHSA said there have been no reported deaths from monkeypox in the UK and there is a vaccine available for higher risk contacts, healthcare workers who are caring for and who are due to start caring for a patient with confirmed monkeypox, and a new vaccination programme for those who are most at risk.
A strategy published by the UKHSA has recommended that some gay and bisexual men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered vaccines to help control the recent outbreak of the virus. Although anyone can contract monkeypox, data from the latest outbreak shows higher levels of transmission within – but not exclusive to – the sexual networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
The virus is not currently defined as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by close and intimate contact that occurs during sex.
The strategy recommends offering the smallpox vaccine Imvanex, which is shown to be effective against monkeypox, to men considered to be at higher risk of exposure. An individual’s eligibility would depend on a number of factors but would be similar to the criteria used to assess those eligible for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – but applied regardless of HIV status.
