London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned the Government to urgently tackle the spread of monkeypox after 71% of recent cases have been reported in England's capital city.
Between May 6 and July 11 this year, there have been 1,735 confirmed monkeypox cases in the UK, and 1,229 of these were Londoners, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures. This compares with only seven cases recorded in the UK between 2018 and 2021.
Mr Khan has said he is “deeply concerned” about the spread, and has written to the recently appointed Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, urging him to act. This follows calls by health charities including the National Aids Trust and the Terrence Higgins Trust for the NHS and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to combat the outbreak as soon as possible.
