How many cases of monkeypox are there in the UK?

But how many cases of monkeypox are there in the UK and where have they been identified?

Here’s what you need to know.

There are currently 101 cases in England, three cases in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

A further 16 additional cases of monkeypox were confirmed in England on Friday (May 27), bringing the UK total to 106.

The first monkeypox infection in England was confirmed on May 7, 2022. The patient had a recent travel history from Nigeria, where he was believed to have contracted the infection before traveling to the UK.

Then, on May 14, two more cases of monkeypox were found in London. The cases live together in the same household and are unrelated to the previously confirmed case, but where and how they contracted it is still under investigation.

A further four cases of monkeypox were then identified on May 16, three in London and one related case in the north-east of England.

The four new cases have no known links to the previously confirmed cases.

All four of these cases self-identify as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (MSM).

Two more cases were then identified on May 18 – one in London and one in south-east England.

They had no travel connections to a country where monkeypox is endemic, so it’s possible they contracted the infection through community transmission.

Eleven further cases of monkeypox were then confirmed in England on May 20th.

On May 23, 36 more cases of monkeypox were identified in England, with one also identified in Scotland.

Then, on May 24, 14 more cases were confirmed in England.

On May 25, seven cases of monkeypox were found in England.

Eight other cases were confirmed in England on May 26, with two more in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.

New guidance from the UKHSA is asking anyone who has had direct or household contact with a confirmed case to isolate for 21 days.

Contacts are advised to provide their details for contact tracing, not travel, and to avoid contact with immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women and children under the age of 12.

A rash usually sets in one to five days after the first symptoms appear. The spots often start on the face before spreading to other parts of the body.

Then, as the disease progresses, the rash changes from raised red bumps to fluid-filled patches, with the patches eventually forming crusts that later fall off.