London : The monkey pox virus continues to spread in the United Kingdom as four more cases have now been detected, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday (May 16, 2022). While three cases of monkey pox have been confirmed in London, one linked case has been found in the northeast of England. The UK health agency said that the four new cases do not have known connections with the previously confirmed cases announced on May 14 and May 7.
All 4 of these cases self-identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM), the UKHSA said in a statement and added that investigations are underway to establish links between the latest cases, which all appear to have been infected in London. There is no link to travel to a country where monkey pox is endemic, and exactly where and how they acquired their infections remains under urgent investigation, including whether they have further links to each other, the official statement added.
The individuals have the West African clade of the virus, which is mild compared to the Central African clade, it said. Since May 6, there have been seven confirmed monkeypox cases diagnosed in the UK. This is rare and unusual. UKHSA is rapidly investigating the source of these infections because the evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox virus in the community, spread by close contact, Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser, UKHSA, said.