UK monkeypox cases soar by 32% to hit 1,000 – as health officials tell infected ‘stay at home’
CASES of monkeypox have risen once more in the UK with officials urging Brits to stay at home if they think they have the illness. There are now 1,076 infections across the country, an increase of 32 per cent on figures reported on Friday. In the US, 244 cases have been reported, with California having […]
CASES of monkeypox have risen once more in the UK with officials urging Brits to stay at home if they think they have the illness.
There are now 1,076 infections across the country, an increase of 32 per cent on figures reported on Friday.
In the US, 244 cases have been reported, with California having the most cases, with 62 being detected in the state.
It’s followed by New York with 37, and Florida and Illinois both with 27.
Dr Sophia Makki, incident director at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the outbreak in the UK is continuing to grow.
“We expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and weeks.
“If you are attending large events over the summer or having sex with new partners, be alert to any monkeypox symptoms so you can get tested rapidly and help avoid passing the infection on.
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“Currently the majority of cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men.
“However, anyone who has had close contact with an individual with symptoms is also at increased risk.”
Dr Makki said that if you are concerned you might have the illness, then you should not got to events, meet with friends or have sexual contact.
She added: “Instead, stay at home and contact 111 or your local sexual health service for advice.
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“We are grateful to all the people who have come forward so far for testing and to assist us with our contact tracing.”
The new report, published today by the UKHSA states that London is the worst hit region in the country, with 659 cases.
It’s followed by the South East where 56 have been picked up and the North West, where there are 34.
The East of England has 29, with both the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber having 13 each.
In the East Midlands and the South West 11 infections have been found, with just seven being detected in the North East.
However, medics stated that 202 cases are still under investigation.
Where information on gender was available, 1,033 cases were in males, with five being confirmed in females.
The signs of monkeypox you need to know
Experts at the UK Health Security Agency have said all Brits should be on the look out for key signs and symptoms.
The signs may include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- Night sweats
- Cold-like symptoms, such as congestion and runny nose
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Swollen groin
- Rash
Medics said that complications of the illness were documented as:
- low mood
- severe pain
- conjunctivitis
The median age for those most affected is 36.
Medics stated that the majority of cases are not in those who have documented travel to endemic countries – such as West Africa.
In recent years, there have been just seven cases of monkeypox, between 2018 and 2021 in the UK.
Of these, four were imported, with two cases having been household contacts and one had been a health care worker who had contact with an imported case.
In the previous cases they had been no evidence of community transmission.
The illness was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys that were being kept for research – hence the name monkeypox.
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At present, England is deemed to be at a level two outbreak which means ‘transmission within a defined sub-population with high number of close contacts’.
However, the country is being monitored for signs of a level 3 outbreak, which means ‘transmission within multiple sub-populations or larger sub-population’.