As of 23 May, UKHSA has reported 70 confirmed cases in England and one in Scotland. This was soon followed by two additional cases who share a household and four cases among gay and bisexual men, all of whom appear to have contracted the virus locally. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported the first case in the current outbreak on 7 May in a man who had recently travelled to Nigeria, where monkeypox is endemic.
While most cases so far are among gay and bisexual men, health officials emphasise that anyone can contract the virus through close personal contact.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now confirmed nearly 100 cases of monkeypox in over a dozen countries, with the largest number in the UK.
